Where does “knobby-kneed” come from?
knobby-kneed (English) comes from English kneed, from English knee, from Middle English knē, from Old English cnēo, from Proto-West Germanic kneu, from Proto-Germanic knewą, from Proto-Indo-European ǵnéwo-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu — knee.
knobby-kneed (English): Having knobby knees
Definitions
- Having knobby knees
Ancestry of “knobby-kneed”, step by step
knobby-kneed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English kneed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kneed | Having a knee or knees, or, "in combination", the... |
| 2 | English | knee | In humans, the joint or the region of the joint... |
| 3 | Middle English | knē | The knee or a similar joint in other animals |
| 4 | Old English | cnēo | generation |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | kneu | knee |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | knewą | knee |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵnéwo- | knee |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵónu | knee |
via English knobby
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knobby | Resembling a knob; Having many knobs or knob-like... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |