Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

knot1

[not]
See more synonyms for knot on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an interlacing, twining, looping, etc., of a cord, rope, or the like, drawn tight into a knob or lump, for fastening, binding, or connecting two cords together or a cord to something else.
  2. a piece of ribbon or similar material tied or folded upon itself and used or worn as an ornament.
  3. a group or cluster of persons or things: a knot of spectators.
  4. the hard, cross-grained mass of wood at the place where a branch joins the trunk of a tree.
  5. a part of this mass showing in a piece of lumber, wood panel, etc.
  6. Anatomy, Zoology. a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle.
  7. a protuberance in the tissue of a plant; an excrescence on a stem, branch, or root; a node or joint in a stem, especially when of swollen form.
  8. any of various fungal diseases of trees characterized by the formation of an excrescence, knob, or gnarl.
  9. an involved, intricate, or difficult matter; complicated problem.
  10. Nautical.
    1. a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.
    2. a unit of 47 feet 3 inches (13.79 meters) on a log line, marked off by knots.
    3. a nautical mile.
  11. a bond or tie: the knot of matrimony.
  12. Also called joint, node. Mathematics. in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned.
Show More
verb (used with object), knot·ted, knot·ting.
  1. to tie in a knot; form a knot in.
  2. to secure or fasten by a knot.
  3. to form protuberances, bosses, or knobs in; make knotty.
Show More
verb (used without object), knot·ted, knot·ting.
  1. to become tied or tangled in a knot.
  2. to form knots or joints.
Show More
Idioms
  1. tie the knot, Informal. to marry: They will tie the knot in November.
Show More

Origin of knot1

before 1000; (noun) Middle English knot(te), Old English cnotta; cognate with Dutch knot, German knoten to knit; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun
Related formsknot·less, adjectiveknot·like, adjective
Can be confusedknot not

Synonyms

See more synonyms for knot on Thesaurus.com
3. company, band, crew, gang, crowd. 7. lump, knob, gnarl. 9. perplexity, puzzle, conundrum.

knot2

[not]
noun
  1. either of two large sandpipers, Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris, that breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
Show More

Origin of knot2

1425–75; late Middle English; origin uncertain
Also called grayback.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for knot

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for knot

knot1

noun
  1. any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a piece of rope, cord, etc, in upon itself, to another piece of rope, or to another object
  2. a prescribed method of tying a particular knot
  3. a tangle, as in hair or string
  4. a decorative bow or fastening, as of ribbon or braid
  5. a small cluster or huddled group
  6. a tie or bondthe marriage knot
  7. a difficult problem
  8. a protuberance or lump of plant tissues, such as that occurring on the trunks of certain trees
    1. a hard mass of wood at the point where a branch joins the trunk of a tree
    2. a cross section of this, usually roundish and cross-grained, visible in a piece of timber
  10. a sensation of constriction, caused by tension or nervousnesshis stomach was tying itself in knots
    1. pathola lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle
    2. anatomya protuberance on an organ or part
  12. a unit of speed used by nautical vessels and aircraft, being one nautical mile (about 1.15 statute miles or 1.85 km) per hour
  13. one of a number of equally spaced knots on a log line used to indicate the speed of a ship in nautical miles per hour
  14. at a rate of knots very fast
  15. tie someone in knots to completely perplex or confuse someone
  16. tie the knot informal to get married
Show More
verb knots, knotting or knotted
  1. (tr) to tie or fasten in a knot
  2. to form or cause to form into a knot
  3. (tr) to ravel or entangle or become ravelled or entangled
  4. (tr) to make (an article or a design) by tying thread in an interlaced pattern of ornamental knots, as in macramé
Show More
Derived Formsknotter, nounknotless, adjectiveknotlike, adjective

Word Origin

Old English cnotta; related to Old High German knoto, Old Norse knūtr

knot2

noun
  1. a small northern sandpiper, Calidris canutus, with a short bill and grey plumage
Show More

Word Origin

C15: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for knot

n.

Old English cnotta "intertwining of ropes, cords, etc.," from Proto-Germanic *knuttan- (cf. Low German knütte, Old Frisian knotta "knot," Dutch knot, Old High German knoto, German Knoten, perhaps also Old Norse knutr "knot, knob"). Figurative sense of "difficult problem" was in Old English (cf. Gordian knot). Symbolic of the bond of wedlock, early 13c. As an ornament of dress, first attested c.1400. Meaning "thickened part or protuberance on tissue of a plant" is from late 14c. The nautical unit of measure (1630s) is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line. The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running.

The distance between the knots on the log-line should contain 1/120 of a mile, supposing the glass to run exactly half a minute. [Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, "A Voyage to South America" 1760]
Show More

v.

"to tie in a knot," mid-15c., from knot (n.). Related: Knotted (late 12c.), knotting.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
knot in Medicine

knot

(nŏt)
n.
  1. A compact intersection of interlaced material, as of cord, ribbon, or rope.
  2. A protuberant growth or swelling in a tissue, such as a gland.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with knot

knot

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.