Where does “knickknack” come from?

knickknack (English) comes from English knick-knack, from English knack, from English Knaack, from Dutch knaak, from Middle Low German knoke, from Old Dutch knuko, from Proto-West Germanic *knokō — joint.

knickknack (English): Alternative spelling of knick-knack

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of knick-knack

Ancestry of “knickknack”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishknick-knackA small ornament of minor value
2EnglishknackA readiness in performance; aptness at doing...
3EnglishKnaack—
4DutchknaakA 2½ guilders coin; A large, valuable coin
5Middle Low Germanknoke—
6Old Dutchknuko—
7Proto-West Germanic*knokōjoint

Words derived from “knickknack”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *knokō →Every word from Old Dutch knuko →Every word from Middle Low German knoke →
knickknack — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer