Where does “knijf” come from?
knijf (Middle English) comes from Middle English knyf, from Old English cnīf, from Old Norse knífr, from Proto-Germanic knībaz, from Proto-Germanic knīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ-.
knijf (Middle English): Alternative form of knyf
Ancestry of “knijf”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | knyf | A knife as a tool or instrument; the following... |
| 2 | Old English | cnīf | knife |
| 3 | Old Norse | knífr | knife |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | knībaz | pincers; shears; knife |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | knīpaną | to pinch |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneybʰ- | — |