Where does “tight-knit” come from?
tight-knit (English) comes from English knit, from Middle English knytten, from Old English cnyttan, from Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan, from Proto-Germanic knuttijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.
tight-knit (English): Strongly pulled together, tightly knit
Definitions
- Strongly pulled together, tightly knit
Ancestry of “tight-knit”, step by step
tight-knit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English knit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knit | To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by... |
| 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 |