Where does “knægt” come from?
knægt (Danish) comes from Middle Low German knecht, from Old English cneht, from Proto-West Germanic kneht — youth, boy; servant, knight.
knægt (Danish): boy, lad; jack, knave
Ancestry of “knægt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | knecht | servant; journeyman, knight's servant |
| 2 | Old English | cneht | Alternative form of cniht |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | kneht | youth, boy; servant, knight |