Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knifejaw” come from?

knifejaw (English) comes from English knife, from Middle English knyf, from Old English cnīf, from Old Norse knífr, from Proto-Germanic knībaz, from Proto-Germanic knīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ-.

knifejaw (English): Any of the family Oplegnathidae of perciform...

Definitions

  1. Any of the family Oplegnathidae of perciform...

Ancestry of “knifejaw”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknifeA utensil or a tool designed for cutting,...
2Middle EnglishknyfA knife as a tool or instrument; the following...
3Old Englishcnīfknife
4Old Norseknífrknife
5Proto-Germanicknībazpincers; shears; knife
6Proto-Germanicknīpanąto pinch
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneybʰ-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ- →