Where does “knife” come from?

Knife comes from Middle English knif, from Old English cnīf, from Old Norse knífr, from Proto-Germanic knībaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to scrape or cut.

knife (English): A utensil or a tool designed for cutting,...

Definitions

  1. A utensil or a tool designed for cutting,...

Ancestry of “knife”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishknyfA knife as a tool or instrument; the following...
2Old Englishcnīfknife
3Old Norseknífrknife
4Proto-Germanicknībazpincers; shears; knife
5Proto-Germanicknīpanąto pinch
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneybʰ-

Words derived from “knife

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ-