Where does “knitting” come from?
Knitting derives from English knit plus the suffix -ing, which comes from Middle English -ing, Old English -ing and -ung, ultimately from Proto-Germanic knuttô and Proto-Indo-European gnod- meaning to squeeze or press together.
knitting (English): present participle of knit; The action of the...
Definitions
- present participle of knit; The action of the...
Ancestry of “knitting”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | knyttynge | The act or state of connection or linkage,... |
| 2 | Middle English | knytten | To connect or secure; to join something to... |
| 3 | Old English | cnyttan | to tie; bind; to knot; to knit |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *knuttijan | to bind into a knot, tie with a knot |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | knuttijaną | to bind into a knot; to tie with a knot |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |