Where does “knick-knack” come from?
knick-knack (English) comes from English knack, from English Knaack, from Dutch knaak, from Middle Low German knoke, from Old Dutch knuko, from Proto-West Germanic *knokō.
knick-knack (English): A small ornament of minor value
Definitions
- A small ornament of minor value
Ancestry of “knick-knack”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | knack | A readiness in performance; aptness at doing... |
| 2 | English | Knaack | — |
| 3 | Dutch | knaak | A 2½ guilders coin; A large, valuable coin |
| 4 | Middle Low German | knoke | — |
| 5 | Old Dutch | knuko | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *knokō | — |
Words derived from “knick-knack”