Main Entry:

¹knot

Pronunciation:

\ˈnät\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English cnotta; akin to Old High German knoto knot

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: an interlacement of the parts of one or more flexible bodies forming a lump or knob (as for fastening or tying together) b: the lump or knob so formed c: a tight constriction or the sense of constriction <my stomach was all in knots>2: something hard to solve : problem <a matter full of legal knots>3: a bond of union ; especially : the marriage bond4 a: a protuberant lump or swelling in tissue <a knot in a gland> b: the base of a woody branch enclosed in the stem from which it arises ; also : its section in lumber5: a cluster of persons or things : group6: an ornamental bow of ribbon : cockade7 a: a division of the log's line serving to measure a ship's speed b (1): one nautical mile per hour (2): one nautical mile —not used technically8: a closed curve in three-dimensional space

[knot illustration]