Where does “ontknopen” come from?

ontknopen (Dutch) comes from Dutch knoop, from Middle Dutch cnôop, from Old Dutch knōp, from Proto-Germanic knaupaz.

ontknopen (Dutch): to unbutton

Definitions

  1. to unbutton

Ancestry of “ontknopen”, step by step

ontknopen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch knoop

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchknoopbutton; knot; node, joint
2Middle Dutchcnôopknot (tied in rope)
3Old Dutchknōp
4Proto-Germanicknaupaz

via Dutch ont- -en

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchont- -enForms transitive verbs from nouns, meaning "to remove (noun) from, to rid of (noun), to de-(noun)"
Every word from Proto-Germanic knaupaz
ontknopen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer