Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knee-cap” come from?

knee-cap (English) comes from English kneecap, from English knee, from Middle English knē, from Old English cnēo, from Proto-West Germanic kneu, from Proto-Germanic knewą, from Proto-Indo-European ǵnéwo-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu — knee.

knee-cap (English): Alternative spelling of kneecap

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of kneecap

Ancestry of “knee-cap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkneecapThe flat, roundish bone in the knee; A metal...
2EnglishkneeIn humans, the joint or the region of the joint...
3Middle Englishknē—
4Old Englishcnēogeneration
5Proto-West Germanickneuknee
6Proto-Germanicknewąknee
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵnéwo-knee
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵónuknee

Words derived from “knee-cap”

  • knee-capping
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu →