Where does “knîf” come from?

knîf (Middle High German) comes from Proto-Germanic knībaz, from Proto-Germanic knīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ-.

Ancestry of “knîf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicknībazpincers; shears; knife
2Proto-Germanicknīpanąto pinch
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵneybʰ-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic knīpaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic knībaz →