Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knit” come from?

Knit comes from Middle English knitten, from Old English cnyttan, from Proto-Germanic knuttijaną and knuttô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gnod- with the suffix -yeti.

knit (English): To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by...

Definitions

  1. To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by...

Ancestry of “knit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishknyttenTo connect or secure; to join something to...
2Old Englishcnyttanto tie; bind; to knot; to knit
3Proto-West Germanic*knuttijan—
4Proto-Germanicknuttijanąto bind into a knot; to tie with a knot
5Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
6Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
8Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “knit”

  • knitting
  • knitwear
  • tightknit
  • reknit
  • knitwise
  • knitteth
  • interknit
  • handknit
  • knitbone
  • knitwork
  • knittest
  • knittable
  • knitback
  • knittle
  • knitalong
  • knitlike
  • knitaholic
  • knittability
  • tight-knit
  • unknittable
  • knitster
  • outknit
  • knitathon
  • ニット
Every word from Chichewa iye →