knee

knee
\ \ [OE] The majority of modern European words for ‘knee’ go back to a common Indo- European ancestor which probably originally signified ‘bend’. This was *g(e)neu or *goneu, which lies behind Latin genuknee’ (source of French genou and Italian ginocchio, and also of English genuine) and may well be connected with Greek gōníāangle’, from which English gets diagonal. It passed into Germanic as *knewam, which over the centuries has diversified into German and Dutch knie, Swedish knä, Danish knoe, and English knee. The derivative kneel [OE] was formed before the Anglo-Saxons reached Britain, and is shared by Dutch (knielen).
\ \ Cf.GENUINE, KNEEL

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Knee — (n[=e]), n. [OE. kne, cneo, As. cne[ o], cne[ o]w; akin to OS. knio, kneo, OFries. kn[=i], G. & D. knie, OHG. chniu, chneo, Icel. kn[=e], Sw. kn[ a], Dan. kn[ae], Goth. kniu, L. genu, Gr. go ny, Skr. j[=a]nu, [root]231. Cf. {Genuflection}.] 1. In …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • knee — [nē] n. [ME kne < OE cneow, akin to Ger knie < IE base * ĝeneu > Sans jānu, Gr gony, gonia, L genu, a knee] 1. a) the joint between the thigh and the lower part of the human leg b) the front part of the leg at this joint 2. a joint… …   English World dictionary

  • knee — ► NOUN 1) the joint between the thigh and the lower leg. 2) the upper surface of a person s thigh when sitting. 3) something resembling a knee in shape or position, e.g. an angled piece of wood or metal. ► VERB (knees, kneed, kneeing) ▪ hit with… …   English terms dictionary

  • Knee — (n[=e]), v. t. To supplicate by kneeling. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Fall down, and knee The way into his mercy. Shak [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • knee — knee; knee·let; knee·sie; …   English syllables

  • Knee — Infobox Anatomy Name = Knee joints Latin = articulatio genus GraySubject = 93 GrayPage = 339 Caption = Diagram of human knee |Caption2 = Precursor = System = Artery = Vein = Nerve = femoral, obturator, sciatic Lymph = MeshName = Knee MeshNumber …   Wikipedia

  • Knee — The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the large shin bone (the tibia) to form the main knee joint. This joint has an inner (medial) and an outer (lateral) compartment. The kneecap (the patella) joins the… …   Medical dictionary

  • knee — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ left, right ▪ bony, knobbly, knobby (esp. AmE) ▪ bare ▪ bent …   Collocations dictionary

  • knee — n. & v. n. 1 a (often attrib.) the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans. b the corresponding joint in other animals. c the area around this. d the upper surface of the thigh of a sitting person; the lap (held her on his knee). 2… …   Useful english dictionary

  • knee — /nee/, n., v., kneed, kneeing. n. 1. Anat. the joint of the leg that allows for movement between the femur and tibia and is protected by the patella; the central area of the leg between the thigh and the lower leg. See diag. under skeleton. 2.… …   Universalium

  • knee — knee1 W2S2 [ni:] n [: Old English; Origin: cneow] 1.) the joint that bends in the middle of your leg ▪ Lucy had a bandage round her knee. on your knees ▪ She was on her knees (=kneeling) weeding the garden. sink/fall/drop to your knees (=move so… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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