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knack - 5 dictionary results

knack

[nak]
–noun
1. a special skill, talent, or aptitude: He had a knack for saying the right thing.
2. a clever or adroit way of doing something.
3. a trick or ruse.
4. a sharp, cracking sound.
5. Archaic. a knickknack; trinket.

Origin:
1325–75; ME: trick; perh. same word as knak sharp-sounding blow, rap, cracking noise (imit.)


1. aptness, facility, dexterity.
knack   (nāk)   
n.  
  1. A clever, expedient way of doing something.
  2. A specific talent for something, especially one difficult to explain or teach. See Synonyms at art1.
  3. Archaic
    1. A cleverly designed device.
    2. A knickknack.

[Middle English knakke, from Middle Dutch cnacken, to strike, crack, probably of imitative origin.]

Knack

Knack\, v. i. [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. G. knacken to break, Dan. knage to crack, and E. knock.]

1. To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise to chink. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] --Bp. Hall.

2. To speak affectedly. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.

Knack

Knack\, n. 1. A petty contrivance; a toy; a plaything; a knickknack.

A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap. --Shak.

2. A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something; skill; facility; dexterity.

The fellow . . . has not the knack with his shears. --B. Jonson.

The dean was famous in his time, And had a kind of knack at rhyme. --Swift.

3. Something performed, or to be done, requiring aptness and dexterity; a trick; a device. "The knacks of japers." --Chaucer.

For how should equal colors do the knack ! --Pope.
Language Translation for : knack
Spanish: truco, habilidad,
German: der Dreh,
Japanese: こつ

knack 
1369, "deception, trick, device," of uncertain origin, probably from a Low Ger. word meaning "a sharp sounding blow" (cf. M.E. knak, c.1380; Ger. knacken "to crack"), of imitative origin. Sense of "special skill" is first recorded 1581, if this is in fact the same word.
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