Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knap” come from?

knap (English) comes from Middle English knap, from Old English cnæp, from Proto-Germanic knappô, from Proto-Indo-European gnebʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gen- — to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to...

knap (English): To shape a brittle material having conchoidal...

Definitions

  1. To shape a brittle material having conchoidal...

Ancestry of “knap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishknapAlternative form of knappe
2Old Englishcnæp—
3Proto-Germanicknappôknob, lump; button
4Proto-Indo-Europeangnebʰ-to press, tighten
5Proto-Indo-Europeangen-to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to...

Words derived from “knap”

  • knapper
  • flintknapper
  • knappable
  • knappy
  • knappish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gen- →