knot

[ not ]

/ nɒt /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

a piece of ribbon or similar material tied or folded upon itself and used or worn as an ornament.

a group or cluster of persons or things: a knot of spectators.

the hard, cross-grained mass of wood at the place where a branch joins the trunk of a tree.

a part of this mass showing in a piece of lumber, wood panel, etc.

Anatomy, Zoology. a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle.

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.

any of various fungal diseases of trees characterized by the formation of an excrescence, knob, or gnarl.

an involved, intricate, or difficult matter; complicated problem.

Nautical.

a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.
a unit of 47 feet 3 inches (13.79 meters) on a log line, marked off by knots.
a nautical mile.

a bond or tie: the knot of matrimony.

Also called joint, node. Mathematics. in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned.

verb (used with object), knot·ted, knot·ting.

to tie in a knot; form a knot in.

to secure or fasten by a knot.

to form protuberances, bosses, or knobs in; make knotty.

verb (used without object), knot·ted, knot·ting.

to become tied or tangled in a knot.

to form knots or joints.

Nearby words

Idioms

tie the knot, Informal. to marry: They will tie the knot in November.

Origin of knot

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

SYNONYMS FOR knot

3. company, band, crew, gang, crowd. 7. lump, knob, gnarl. 9. perplexity, puzzle, conundrum.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knot ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsknot·less, adjectiveknot·like, adjective

Can be confusedknot not

knot

[ not ]

/ nɒt /

noun

either of two large sandpipers, Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris, that breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Origin of knot

1425–75; late Middle English; origin uncertain

Also called grayback.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for knot

There is something irrevocable-feeling about couples tying the knot on the steps of the county courthouse.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins|Jay Michaelson|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every day before leaving home, Sara stands before the mirror and tightens the knot on her scarf.
Acid Attacks on Women Spread Terror in Iran|IranWire|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most famous people in the world tied the knot secretly over the weekend.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Got Married and We’re Worried About Jennifer Aniston|Kevin Fallon, Tim Teeman|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The moment he was finally able to loop a knot by himself was a milestone, his first step to becoming a man.
Miami’s Chris Bosh Goes High Fashion|Justin Jones|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Star-studded guests arrived in fancy cars, and music and cheers rose above the castle walls as Kimye tied the knot.
Eavesdropping On Kim and Kanye’s Florentine “Wedding of the Century”|Barbie Latza Nadeau|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Joe and Abe looked to it, testing every knot, however, and their seamanship told.
Tom Fairfield at Sea|Allen Chapman
Yet ways and means had to be provided, and the difficulty grew rather than diminished, until it was decided to cut the knot.
Sir Walter Ralegh|William Stebbing
Thereby had she been enabled to say, 'He will come'; and saying, 'He has come,' her touch rested on the first knot in the string.
The Short Works of George Meredith|George Meredith
His eyes are too busy examining the shingles for knot holes to be cut out by the second saw whirling in front of him.
The Everett massacre|Walker C. Smith
From another corner he tried to extricate a half-sovereign, but it would not come, the knot was too tight.
Thereby Hangs a Tale|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for knot

knot

/ (nɒt) /

noun

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

a prescribed method of tying a particular knot

a tangle, as in hair or string

a decorative bow or fastening, as of ribbon or braid

a small cluster or huddled group

a tie or bondthe marriage knot

a difficult problem

a protuberance or lump of plant tissues, such as that occurring on the trunks of certain trees

a hard mass of wood at the point where a branch joins the trunk of a tree
a cross section of this, usually roundish and cross-grained, visible in a piece of timber

a sensation of constriction, caused by tension or nervousnesshis stomach was tying itself in knots

pathola lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle
anatomya protuberance on an organ or part

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

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

at a rate of knots very fast

tie someone in knots to completely perplex or confuse someone

tie the knot informal to get married

verb knots, knotting or knotted

(tr) to tie or fasten in a knot

to form or cause to form into a knot

(tr) to ravel or entangle or become ravelled or entangled

(tr) to make (an article or a design) by tying thread in an interlaced pattern of ornamental knots, as in macramé

Derived Formsknotter, nounknotless, adjectiveknotlike, adjective

Word Origin for knot

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

noun

a small northern sandpiper, Calidris canutus, with a short bill and grey plumage

Word Origin for knot

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

knot

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]

knot

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

Medicine definitions for knot

knot

[ nŏt ]

n.

A compact intersection of interlaced material, as of cord, ribbon, or rope.

A protuberant growth or swelling in a tissue, such as a gland.

Idioms and Phrases with knot

knot

see tie into knots; tie the knot.

knot

noun

verb (used with object), knot·ted, knot·ting.

verb (used without object), knot·ted, knot·ting.

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of knot

knot

noun

Origin of knot

Examples from the Web for knot

knot

noun

verb knots, knotting or knotted

Word Origin for knot

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Word Origin for knot

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