Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knuckly” come from?

knuckly (English) comes from English knuckle, from Middle English knokel, from Old English cnucel, from Proto-West Germanic knukil, from Proto-Germanic knukilaz, from Proto-Germanic knukô, from Proto-Indo-European gnew-, from Proto-Indo-European gen- — to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to...

knuckly (English): Knucklelike; Having prominent knuckles

Definitions

  1. Knucklelike; Having prominent knuckles

Ancestry of “knuckly”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknuckleAny of the joints between the phalanges of the...
2Middle Englishknokelfinger joint
3Old Englishcnucelthe juncture of two bones; knuckle; joint
4Proto-West Germanicknukilknuckle, joint, small bone
5Proto-Germanicknukilazknuckle, small bone; knot, bump
6Proto-Germanicknukôjoint, bone
7Proto-Indo-Europeangnew-a bundle; knot; knot, bundle
8Proto-Indo-Europeangen-to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gen- →