Where does “knockdown” come from?
Knockdown derives from English knock and down, where down comes from Old Norse dúnn, Old English dūn, Proto-Celtic dūnom, Gaulish dunum, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European h₂epo meaning away or off.
knockdown (English): An act of knocking down or the condition of being...
Definitions
- An act of knocking down or the condition of being...
Ancestry of “knockdown”, step by step
knockdown traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English knock
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knock | An abrupt rapping sound, as from an impact of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | knokken | To pound; to beat down |
| 3 | Old English | cnocian | to knock; to knock on something; to hit, strike |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | knukōną | To pound on; beat on; knock |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gnew- | a bundle; knot; knot, bundle |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gen- | to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to... |