Where does “knif” come from?
knif (Silesian) comes from German Kniff, from German kneifen, from German kneipen, from Middle Low German knīpen, from Old Saxon knīpan, from Proto-West Germanic knīpan, from Proto-Germanic knīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneybʰ-.
knif (Silesian): way, method
Definitions
- way, method
Ancestry of “knif”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Kniff | crease; trick |
| 2 | German | kneifen | to pinch, to squeeze; to chicken out; to back... |
| 3 | German | kneipen | archaic or dialectal Northern form of kneifen; to... |
| 4 | Middle Low German | knīpen | to squeeze |
| 5 | Old Saxon | knīpan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | knīpan | to pinch |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | knīpaną | to pinch |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneybʰ- | — |