Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “knep” come from?

knep (Middle English) comes from English knap, from Middle English knap, from Old English cnæp, from Proto-Germanic knappô, from Proto-Indo-European gnebʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European gen- — to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to...

Ancestry of “knep”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknapTo shape a brittle material having conchoidal...
2Middle EnglishknapAlternative form of knappe
3Old Englishcnæp—
4Proto-Germanicknappôknob, lump; button
5Proto-Indo-Europeangnebʰ-to press, tighten
6Proto-Indo-Europeangen-to squeeze, pinch, kink, ball up, concentrate; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gen- →