Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knee” come from?

Knee comes from Middle English kne, from Old English cnēo, from Proto-West Germanic kneu, from Proto-Germanic knewą, from Proto-Indo-European ǵnéwo-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu meaning the joint in the leg.

knee (English): In humans, the joint or the region of the joint...

Definitions

  1. In humans, the joint or the region of the joint...

Ancestry of “knee”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishknē—
2Old Englishcnēogeneration
3Proto-West Germanickneuknee
4Proto-Germanicknewąknee
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵnéwo-knee
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵónuknee

Words derived from “knee”

  • knees
  • kneecap
  • kneehole
  • kneejoint
  • kneepan
  • kneeless
  • kneeboard
  • aknee
  • kneepiece
  • kneesies
  • kneelike
  • kneecapper
  • kneeroom
  • overknee
  • thick-knee
  • knee-breeches
  • kneeboarder
  • pushknee
  • kneejointed
  • knee-cap
  • knee-capping
  • knee-jerkish
  • knee-jerkishly
  • kneebar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu →