knot

¹

[not]

noun

1. an interlacing, twining, looping, etc., of a cord, rope, or the like, drawn tight into a knob or lump, for fastening, binding, or connecting two cords together or a cord to something else.

2. a piece of ribbon or similar material tied or folded upon itself and used or worn as an ornament.

3. a group or cluster of persons or things.

   a knot of spectators.

   Synonyms: crowd, gang, crew, band, company

4. the hard, cross-grained mass of wood at the place where a branch joins the trunk of a tree.

5. a part of this mass showing in a piece of lumber, wood panel, etc.

6. Anatomy, Zoology.,  a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle.

7. a protuberance in the tissue of a plant; an excrescence on a stem, branch, or root; a node or joint in a stem, especially when of swollen form.

   Synonyms: gnarl, knob, lump

8. any of various fungal diseases of trees characterized by the formation of an excrescence, knob, or gnarl.

9. an involved, intricate, or difficult matter; complicated problem.

   Synonyms: conundrum, puzzle, perplexity

10. Nautical.

    1. a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.

    2. a unit of 47 feet 3 inches (13.79 meters) on a logline, marked off by knots.

    3. a nautical mile.

11. a bond or tie.

    the knot of matrimony.

12. Also called joint, node. Mathematics.,  in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned.

verb (used with object)

knotted, knotting 

1. to tie in a knot; form a knot in.

2. to secure or fasten by a knot.

3. to form protuberances, bosses, or knobs in; make knotty.

verb (used without object)

knotted, knotting 

1. to become tied or tangled in a knot.

2. to form knots or joints.

knot

²

[not]

noun

1. either of two large sandpipers, Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris, that breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

knot

¹

/ nɒt /

noun

1. any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a piece of rope, cord, etc, in upon itself, to another piece of rope, or to another object

2. a prescribed method of tying a particular knot

3. a tangle, as in hair or string

4. a decorative bow or fastening, as of ribbon or braid

5. a small cluster or huddled group

6. a tie or bond

   the marriage knot

7. a difficult problem

8. a protuberance or lump of plant tissues, such as that occurring on the trunks of certain trees

9. 1. a hard mass of wood at the point where a branch joins the trunk of a tree

   2. a cross section of this, usually roundish and cross-grained, visible in a piece of timber

10. a sensation of constriction, caused by tension or nervousness

    his stomach was tying itself in knots

11. 1. pathol a lump of vessels or fibres formed in a part, as in a muscle

    2. anatomy a protuberance on an organ or part

12. a unit of speed used by nautical vessels and aircraft, being one nautical mile (about 1.15 statute miles or 1.85 km) per hour

13. one of a number of equally spaced knots on a log line used to indicate the speed of a ship in nautical miles per hour

14. very fast

15. to completely perplex or confuse someone

16. informal,  to get married

verb

1. (tr) to tie or fasten in a knot

2. to form or cause to form into a knot

3. (tr) to ravel or entangle or become ravelled or entangled

4. (tr) to make (an article or a design) by tying thread in an interlaced pattern of ornamental knots, as in macramé

knot

²

/ nɒt /

noun

1. a small northern sandpiper, Calidris canutus, with a short bill and grey plumage

Other Word Forms

• knotter noun
• knotlike adjective
• knotless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of knot¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun knot(t)e, cnotte, cnot(e), Old English cnotta; cognate with Dutch knot, German knoten “to knit ”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of knot²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of knot¹

Old English cnotta; related to Old High German knoto, Old Norse knūtr

Origin of knot²

C15: of unknown origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. tie the knot, to marry.

   They will tie the knot in November.

see tie into knots; tie the knot.

Example Sentences

Martin tied himself in knots on Friday when dealing with a volley of questions on his relationship with Raskin and whether the midfielder will be in his squad for Sunday.

From BBC

Palmer’s overtime playcalling powered Santa Margarita to the win after succumbing to a Huskies 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter to knot the game at 27.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a knotted situation that could become even worse domestically if Rangers were not so hell-bent on raising the ante in the crisis stakes.

From BBC

But according to the Coast Guard, the Karolee had maintained a constant southerly course for several days, keeping at four knots.

From Los Angeles Times

The couple tied the knot in 2021 and collaborated on several films together, such as “Spin Me Around,” “The Little Hours,” and “Life After Beth.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clump 
• cluster 
• mob 
• swarm