Where does “knuckle” come from?
Knuckle comes from Middle English knokel, from Proto-Germanic knukilaz, formed with the diminutive suffix Proto-Germanic -ilaz from Proto-Indo-European -elo-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gen-.
knuckle (English): Any of the joints between the phalanges of the...
Definitions
- Any of the joints between the phalanges of the...
Ancestry of “knuckle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | knokel | finger joint |
| 2 | Old English | cnucel | the juncture of two bones; knuckle; joint |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | knukil | knuckle, joint, small bone |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | knukilaz | knuckle, small bone; knot, bump |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | knukô | joint, bone |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gnew- | a bundle; knot; knot, bundle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gen- | to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to... |