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.
knickknack (English): Alternative spelling of knick-knack
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of knick-knack
Ancestry of “knickknack”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | knick-knack | A small ornament of minor value |
| 2 | English | knack | A readiness in performance; aptness at doing... |
| 3 | English | Knaack | — |
| 4 | Dutch | knaak | A 2½ guilders coin; A large, valuable coin |
| 5 | Middle Low German | knoke | — |
| 6 | Old Dutch | knuko | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *knokō | — |