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View synonyms for knot
knot
1[ not ]
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.
Synonyms: conundrum, puzzle, perplexity
- 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 logline, marked off by knots.
- a nautical mile.
- a bond or tie:
the knot of matrimony.
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.
knot
2[ not ]
noun
- either of two large sandpipers, Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris, that breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
knot
1/ 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 bond
the 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 nervousness
his stomach was tying itself in knots
- pathol a lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle
- anatomy a 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 knotsvery fast
- tie someone in knotsto completely perplex or confuse someone
- tie the knot informal.to get married
verb
- 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
knot
2/ nɒt /
noun
- a small northern sandpiper, Calidris canutus, with a short bill and grey plumage
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Derived Forms
- ˈknotter, noun
- ˈknotˌlike, adjective
- ˈknotless, adjective
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Other Words From
- knot·less adjective
- knot·like adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of knot1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun knot(t)e, cnotte, cnot(e), Old English cnotta; cognate with Dutch knot, German knoten “to knit ”; the verb is derivative of the noun
Origin of knot2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; origin unknown
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Word History and Origins
Origin of knot1
Old English cnotta; related to Old High German knoto, Old Norse knūtr
Origin of knot2
C15: of unknown origin
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Idioms and Phrases
More idioms and phrases containing knot
see tie into knots ; tie the knot .Advertisement
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Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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