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 bond
4 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 lumber
5 : a cluster of persons or things : group
6 : an ornamental bow of ribbon : cockade
7 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 technically
8 : a closed curve in three-dimensional space

[knot illustration]