NYT Dictionary

KNOT

/nɑt/
NounVerbNAHTGrade 9

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2018, 2020, 2024, 2026

Meaning

A looping of a piece of string or of any other long, flexible material that cannot be untangled without passing one or both ends of the material through its loops.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English knotte, from Old English cnotta, from Proto-West Germanic *knottō, from Proto-Germanic *knuttô, *knudô (“knot”); probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gnod- (“to bind”). See also Old High German knoto (German Knoten, Dutch knot, Low German Knütte; also Old Norse knútr > Danish knude, Swedish knut, Norwegian knute, Faroese knútur, Icelandic hnútur; also Latin nōdus and its Romance descendants. Doublet of knout, node, and nodus. * (unit of speed): From the practice of counting the number of knots in the logline (as it is paid out) in a standard time. Traditionally spaced at one every ¹⁄₁₂₀ of a mile.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

knktnmbindtieknitattachbafflejoinput together

Antonyms

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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