Knee - Knock

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Knee (nē), v. t. To supplicate by kneeling. [Obs.]
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Fall down, and knee
The way into his mercy. Shak
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Kneebrush (nēbrŭsh), n. 1. (Zoöl.) A tuft or brush of hair on the knees of some species of antelopes and other animals; -- chiefly used in the plural.
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2. (Zoöl.) A thick mass or collection of hairs on the legs of bees, by aid of which they carry the collected pollen to the hive or nest; -- usually in the plural.
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kneecap (?), n. 1. (Anat.) A roundish, flattened, sesamoid bone in the tendon in front of the knee joint; the patella; the kneepan.
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2. A cap or protection for the knee.

kneecap v. t. to break the knees of, especially by shooting in the kneecap; -- often done by criminal or terrorist groups as a warning or punishment.
Syn. -- knee-cap.
[WordNet 1.5]

Knee-crooking (?), a. Obsequious; fawning; cringing. “Knee-crooking knave.” Shak.
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Kneed (?), a. 1. Having knees;- used chiefly in composition; as, in-kneed; out-kneed; weak-kneed.
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2. (Bot.) Geniculated; forming an obtuse angle at the joints, like the knee when a little bent; as, kneed grass.
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Knee-deep (?), a. 1. Rising to the knees; knee-high; as, water or snow knee-deep.
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Grass knee-deep within a month. Milton.
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2. Sunk to the knees; as, men knee-deep in water.
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Where knee-deep the trees were standing. Longfellow.
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Knee-high (?), a. Rising or reaching upward to the knees; as, the water is knee-high.
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Knee jerk. (Physiol.) A jerk or forward kick of the lower part of the leg produced by a blow or sudden strain upon the patellar tendon of the knee, which causes a sudden contraction of the quadriceps muscle; the patellar reflex.
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Knee jerk, n. emotional and predictable; -- of certain people and their reactions to events.
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Knee jerk liberal. a person of strong liberal convictions who reacts predictably and emotionally to certain events.
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Knee jerk reaction. an immediate unthinking emotional reaction produced by an event or statement to which the reacting person is highly sensitive; -- in persons with strong feelings on a topic, it may be very predictable.
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Kneejoint (?), n. 1. The joint of the knee.
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2. (Mach.) A toggle joint; -- so called because consisting of two pieces jointed to each other end to end, making an angle like the knee when bent.
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Kneejointed, a. (Bot.) Geniculate; kneed. See , a., 2.
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Kneel (nēl), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Knelt (nĕlt) or Kneeled (nēld); p. pr. & vb. n. Kneeling.] [OE. knelen, cneolien; akin to D. knielen, Dan. knæle. See .] To bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; -- sometimes with down.
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☞ The act of kneeling, when performed in front of a person, is often done as a sign of respect, humility, or supplication. It has a similar significance when performed in front of religious objects, such as an altar or shrine.
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And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Acts vii. 60.
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As soon as you are dressed, kneel and say the Lord's Prayer. Jer. Taylor.
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Kneeler (?), n. 1. One who kneels or who worships by or while kneeling. Tennyson.
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2. A cushion or stool to kneel on, such as one attached to a pew in a church.
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3. (Eccl. Hist.) A name given to certain catechumens and penitents who were permitted to join only in parts of church worship.
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Kneelingly, adv. In a kneeling position.
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Kneepan (?), n. (Anat.) A roundish, flattened, sesamoid bone in the tendon in front of the knee joint; the patella; the kneecap.
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Kneepiece (?), n. A piece shaped like a knee; as, the kneepieces or ears of a boat.
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Kneippism (?), n. Also Kneipp's cure, or Kneipp cure (�), Treatment of disease by forms of hydrotherapy, as walking barefoot in the morning dew, baths, wet compresses, cold affusions, etc.; -- so called from its originator, Sebastian Kneipp (1821-97), a German priest.
[Webster Suppl.]

Knell (?), n. [OE. knel, cnul, AS. cnyll, fr. cnyllan to sound a bell; cf. D. & G. knallen to clap, crack, G. & Sw. knall a clap, crack, loud sound, Dan. knalde to clap, crack. Cf. , n. & v.] The stroke of a bell tolled at a funeral or at the death of a person; a death signal; a passing bell; hence, (figuratively), a warning or harbinger of, or a sound indicating, the passing away of anything; -- also called death knell.
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The dead man's knell
Is there scarce asked for who. Shak.
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The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. Gray.
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Knell, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Knelled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Knelling.] [OE. knellen, knillen, As. cnyllan. See , n.] To sound as a knell; especially, to toll at a death or funeral; hence, to sound as a warning or evil omen.
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Not worth a blessing nor a bell to knell for thee. Beau. & Fl.
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Yet all that poets sing, and grief hath known,
Of hopes laid waste, knells in that word, “alone”. Ld. Lytton.
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Knell, v. t. To summon, as by a knell.
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Each matin bell, the baron saith,
Knells us back to a world of death. Coleridge.
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Knelt (?), imp. & p. p. of .
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Knew (?), imp. of .
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Knicker (?), n. [D. knikker.] A small ball of clay, baked hard and oiled, used as a marble by boys in playing. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.] Halliwell. Bartlett.
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Knickerbocker, n. A linsey-woolsey fabric having a rough knotted surface on the right side; used for women's dresses.
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Knickerbocker, [capitalized] prop. n. [From Diedrich KNickerbocker, the fictional author of The History of New York, in fact written by Washington Irving.] A descendent of the early Dutch colonists of the New York City area; -- used mostly as a nickname for an inhabitant of New York state or especially New York City.
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Knickerbockers (?), n. pl. The name for a style of short breeches; smallclothes; called also knickers.
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knickers (?), n. pl. 1. The name for a style of loose-fitting short trousers, gathered in and ending at the knees; smallclothes; called also knickerbockers.
Syn. -- breeches, knee breeches, knee pants, knickerbockers.
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2. Underpants, especially of women; panties. [British]
Syn. -- bloomers, pants, drawers.
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Knickknack (?), n. [See .] A trifle or toy; a bawble; a gewgaw; a tchotchke.
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Knickknackatory (?), n. A collection of knickknacks. Richardson.
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Knickknackery (?), n. Knickknacks.
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Knife (nīf), n.; pl. Knives (nīvz). [OE. knif, AS. cnīf; akin to D. knijf, Icel. knīfr, Sw. knif, Dan. kniv.] 1. An instrument consisting of a thin blade, usually of steel and having a sharp edge for cutting, fastened to a handle, but of many different forms and names for different uses; as, table knife, drawing knife, putty knife, pallet knife, pocketknife, penknife, chopping knife, etc..
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2. A sword or dagger.
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The coward conquest of a wretch's knife. Shak.
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Coloq. Knife grass (Bot.) a tropical American sedge (Scleria latifolia), having leaves with a very sharp and hard edge, like a knife. -- Coloq. War to the knife , mortal combat; a conflict carried to the last extremity.
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Knife, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Knifed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Knifing (?).] 1. (Hort.) To prune with the knife.
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2. To cut or stab with a knife. [Low]
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3. Fig.: To stab in the back; to try to defeat by underhand means, esp. in politics; to vote or work secretly against (a candidate of one's own party). [Slang, U. S.]
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Knifeboard (?), n. A board on which knives are cleaned or polished.
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Knife-edge (?), n. (Mech.) A piece of steel sharpened to an acute edge or angle, and resting on a smooth surface, serving as the axis of motion of a pendulum, scale beam, or other piece required to oscillate with the least possible friction.
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Coloq. Knife-edge file . See Illust. of .
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Knife switch. (Elec.) A switch consisting of one or more knifelike pieces hinged at one end and making contact near the other with flat gripping springs.
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Knight (?), n. [OE. knight, cniht, knight, soldier, AS. cniht, cneoht, a boy, youth, attendant, military follower; akin to D. & G. knecht servant; perh. akin to E. kin.] 1. A young servant or follower; a military attendant. [Obs.]
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2. (a) In feudal times, a man-at-arms serving on horseback and admitted to a certain military rank with special ceremonies, including an oath to protect the distressed, maintain the right, and live a stainless life. (b) One on whom knighthood, a dignity next below that of baronet, is conferred by the sovereign, entitling him to be addressed as Sir; as, Sir John. [Eng.] Hence: (c) A champion; a partisan; a lover. “Give this ring to my true knight.” Shak “In all your quarrels will I be your knight.” Tennyson.
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Knights, by their oaths, should right poor ladies' harms. Shak.
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☞ Formerly, when a knight's name was not known, it was customary to address him as Sir Knight. The rank of a knight is not hereditary.
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3. A piece used in the game of chess, usually bearing a horse's head.
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4. A playing card bearing the figure of a knight; the knave or jack. [Obs.]
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Coloq. Carpet knight . See under . -- Coloq. Knight of industry . See Chevalier d'industrie, under . -- Coloq. Knight of Malta , Coloq. Knight of Rhodes , Coloq. Knight of St. John of Jerusalem . See . -- Coloq. Knight of the post , one who gained his living by giving false evidence on trials, or false bail; hence, a sharper in general. Nares. “A knight of the post, . . . quoth he, for so I am termed; a fellow that will swear you anything for twelve pence.” Nash. -- Coloq. Knight of the shire , in England, one of the representatives of a county in Parliament, in distinction from the representatives of cities and boroughs. -- Coloq. Knights commanders , Coloq. Knights grand cross , different classes of the Order of the Bath. See under , and . Coloq. Knights of labor , a secret organization whose professed purpose is to secure and maintain the rights of workingmen as respects their relations to their employers. [U. S.] -- Coloq. Knights of Pythias , a secret order, founded in Washington, D. C., in 1864, for social and charitable purposes. -- Coloq. Knights of the Round Table , knights belonging to an order which, according to the legendary accounts, was instituted by the mythical King Arthur. They derived their common title from the table around which they sat on certain solemn days. Brande & C.
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Knight, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Knighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Knighting.] To dub or create (one) a knight; -- done in England by the sovereign only, who taps the kneeling candidate with a sword, saying: Rise, Sir ---.
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A soldier, by the honor-giving hand
Of Cœur-de-Lion knighted in the field. Shak.
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Knightage (?), n. The body of knights, taken collectively.
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Knight bachelor (?); pl. Knights bachelors (�). A knight of the most ancient, but lowest, order of English knights, and not a member of any order of chivalry. See , 4.
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Knight banneret (?); pl. Knights bannerets. A knight who carried a banner, who possessed fiefs to a greater amount than the knight bachelor, and who was obliged to serve in war with a greater number of attendants. The dignity was sometimes conferred by the sovereign in person on the field of battle.
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Knight baronet (?) n. See .
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Knight-errant (?), n.; pl. Knight-errants, or Knights-errant. A wandering knight; a knight who traveled in search of adventures, for the purpose of exhibiting military skill, prowess, and generosity.
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Knight-errantry (?), n.; pl. Knight-errantries (�). The character or actions of wandering knights; the practice of wandering in quest of adventures; chivalry; a quixotic or romantic adventure or scheme.
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The rigid guardian [i. e., conscience] of a blameless heart
Is weak with rank knight-erratries o'errun. Young.
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Knight-er-ratic (?), a. Pertaining to a knight-errant or to knight-errantry. [R.] Quart. Rev.
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Knighthead (?), n. (Naut.) A bollard timber. See under .
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Knighthood (?), n. [Knight + hood: cf. AS. chihthād youth.] 1. The character, dignity, or condition of a knight, or of knights as a class; hence, chivalry. “O shame to knighthood.” Shak.
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If you needs must write, write Cæsar's praise;
You 'll gain at least a knighthood, or the bays. Pope.
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2. The whole body of knights.
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The knighthood nowadays are nothing like the knighthood of old time. Chapman.
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☞ “When the order of knighthood was conferred with full solemnity in the leisure of a court or court or city, imposing preliminary ceremonies were required of the candidate. He prepared himself by prayer and fasting, watched his arms at night in a chapel, and was then admitted with the performance of religious rites. Knighthood was conferred by the accolade, which, from the derivation of the name, would appear to have been originally an embrace; but afterward consisted, as it still does, in a blow of the flat of a sword on the back of the kneeling candidate.” Brande & C.
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Knightless, a. Unbecoming a knight. [Obs.] “Knightless guile.” Spenser.
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Knightliness (?), n. The character or bearing suitable for a knight; chivalry. Spenser.
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Knightly, a. [AS. cnihtlic boyish.] Of or pertaining to a knight; becoming a knight; chivalrous; as, a knightly combat; a knightly spirit.
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For knightly jousts and fierce encounters fit. Spenser.
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[Excuses] full knightly without scorn. Tennyson.
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Knightly, adv. In a manner becoming a knight.
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And why thou comest thus knightly clad in arms. Shak.
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Knight marshal (?) n. (Eng. Law) An officer in the household of the British sovereign, who has cognizance of transgressions within the royal household and verge, and of contracts made there, a member of the household being one of the parties. Wharton.
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Knight service (?) Also Knight's service (�) n. 1. (Feud. Law) The military service by rendering which a knight held his lands.

2. (Eng. Feud. Law) A tenure of lands held by knights on condition of performing military service. See , n., 4.
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By far the greater part of England [in the 13th century] is held of the king by knight's service. . . . In order to understand this tenure we must form the conception of a unit of military service. That unit seems to be the service of one knight or fully armed horseman (servitium unius militis) to be done to the king in his army for forty days in the year, if it be called for. . . . The limit of forty days seems to have existed rather in theory than practice. Pollock & Mait.
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3. Service such as a knight can or should render; hence, good or valuable service.
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Knight's fee. (Feudal Law) The fee of a knight; specif., the amount of land the holding of which imposed the obligation of knight service, being sometimes a or less, sometimes six or more hides.
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Knight Templar (?); pl. Knights Templars (�). See , n., 3, and also , n., 1 and 3.
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knish (k'nĭsh), n. (Russian and Jewish Cookery) A fried, or sometimes baked, turnover made from a round or square sheet of dough containing a filling, usually of meat or potatoes.
[WordNet 1.5 +PJC]

Knit (nĭt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Knit or Knitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Knitting.] [OE. knitten, knutten, As. cnyttan, fr. cnotta knot; akin to Icel. knȳta, Sw. knyta, Dan. knytte. See .] 1. To form into a knot, or into knots; to tie together, as cord; to fasten by tying.
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A great sheet knit at the four corners. Acts x. 11.
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When your head did but ache,
I knit my handkercher about your brows. Shak.
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2. To form, as a textile fabric, by the interlacing of yarn or thread in a series of connected loops, by means of needles, either by hand or by machinery; as, to knit stockings.
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3. To join; to cause to grow together.
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Nature can not knit the bones while the parts are under a discharge. Wiseman.
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4. To unite closely; to connect; to engage; as, hearts knit together in love.
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Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit. Shak.
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Come, knit hands, and beat the ground,
In a light fantastic round. Milton (Comus).
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A link among the days, toknit
The generations each to each. Tennyson.
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5. To draw together; to contract into wrinkles.
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He knits his brow and shows an angry eye. Shak.
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Knit, v. i. 1. To form a fabric by interlacing yarn or thread; to weave by making knots or loops.
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2. To be united closely; to grow together; as, broken bones will in time knit and become sound.
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Coloq. To knit up , to wind up; to conclude; to come to a close. “It remaineth to knit up briefly with the nature and compass of the seas.” [Obs.] Holland.
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Knit, n. Union knitting; texture. Shak.
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Knitback (?), n. (Bot.) The plant comfrey; -- so called from its use as a restorative. Dr. Prier.

{ Knitch (?), Knitchet (?), } n. [Cf. .] A number of things tied or knit together; a bundle; a fagot. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
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When they [stems of asphodel] be dried, they ought to be made up into knitchets, or handfuls. Holland.
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Knits (?), n. pl. [Prob. same word as nit a louse's egg.] (Mining) Small particles of ore. Raymond.
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Knitster (?), n. A woman who knits. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
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Knitter (?), n. One who, or that which, knits, joins, or unites; a knitting machine. Shak.
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Knitting (?), n. 1. The work of a knitter; the network formed by knitting; knitwork.
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2. Union formed by knitting, as of bones.
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Coloq. Knitting machine , one of a number of contrivances for mechanically knitting stockings, jerseys, and the like. -- Coloq. Knitting needle , a stiff rod, as of steel wire, with rounded ends for knitting yarn or threads into a fabric, as in stockings. -- Coloq. Knitting sheath , a sheath to receive the end of a needle in knitting.
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Knittle (?), n. [From .] 1. A string that draws together a purse or bag. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
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2. pl. (Naut.) See .
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knitwear n. knitted clothing.
[WordNet 1.5]

knitwork (nĭtwûrk), n. A network of yarn created by interlacing threads of yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine; knitting.
Syn. -- knit, knitting.
[WordNet 1.5]

Knives (?), n. pl. of . See .
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Knob (?), n. [A modification of knop. Cf. .] 1. A hard protuberance; a hard swelling or rising; a bunch; a lump; as, a knob in the flesh, or on a bone.
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2. A knoblike ornament or handle; as, the knob of a lock, door, or drawer. Chaucer.
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3. A rounded hill or mountain; as, the Pilot Knob. [U. S.] Bartlett.
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4. (Arch.) See .
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Coloq. Knob latch , a latch which can be operated by turning a knob, without using a key.
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Knob, v. i. To grow into knobs or bunches; to become knobbed. [Obs.] Drant.
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Knobbed (?), a. Containing knobs; full of knobs; ending in a nob. See Illust of .
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The horns of a roe deer of Greenland are pointed at the top, and knobbed or tuberous at the bottom. Grew.
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Knobber (?), n. (Zoöl.) See .
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Knobbing (?), n. (Stone Quarrying) Rough dressing by knocking off knobs or projections.
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Knobbler, n. (Zoöl.) The hart in its second year; a young deer. [Written also knobber.] Halliwell.
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He has hallooed the hounds upon a velvet-headed knobbler. Sir W. Scott.
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Knobbling fire (?) n. A bloomery fire. See .
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Knobby, a. [From .] 1. Full of, or covered with, knobs or hard protuberances. Dr. H. More.
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2. Irregular; stubborn in particulars. [Obs.]
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The informers continued in a knobby kind of obstinacy. Howell.
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3. Abounding in rounded hills or mountains; hilly. [U.S.] Bartlett.
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knobkerrie, knobkerry (?), n. [Boer D. knopkirie, fr. D. knop-hout, knotty stick + Hottentot kïrri club.] A short wooden club with a knobbed end used as a missile weapon by Kafir and other native tribes of South Africa.
[Webster Suppl.]

Knobstick (?), n. 1. One who refuses to join, or withdraws from, a trade union. [Cant, Eng.]
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2. A stick, cane, or club terminating in a knob; esp., such a stick or club used as a weapon or missile; a knobkerrie.
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Knock (nŏk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Knocked (nŏkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Knocking.] [OE. knoken, AS. cnocian, cnucian; prob. of imitative origin; cf. Sw. knacka. Cf. .] 1. To drive or be driven against something; to strike against something; to clash; as, one heavy body knocks against another. Bacon.
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2. To strike or beat with something hard or heavy; to rap; as, to knock with a club; to knock on the door.
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For harbor at a thousand doors they knocked. Dryden.
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Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matt. vii. 7.
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3. To practice evil speaking or fault-finding; to criticize habitually or captiously. [Slang, U. S.]
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Coloq. To knock about , to go about, taking knocks or rough usage; to wander about; to saunter. [Colloq.] “Knocking about town.” W. Irving. -- Coloq. To knock up , to fail of strength; to become wearied or worn out, as with labor; to give out. “The horses were beginning to knock up under the fatigue of such severe service.” De Quincey. -- Coloq. To knock off , to cease, as from work; to desist. -- Coloq. To knock under , to yield; to submit; to acknowledge one's self conquered; -- an expression probably borrowed from the practice of knocking under the table with the knuckles, when conquered. “Colonel Esmond knocked under to his fate.” Thackeray.
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