Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gnod-der.?
Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu
Proto-Indo-European *ǵnu-tonder.?
Proto-Germanic *knuttô
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Germanic *-janą
Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną
Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan
Old English cnyttan
Middle English knytten
English knit
Inherited from Middle English knytten, from Old English cnyttan, from Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną, from *knuttô + *-janą.
Cognate with Low German knütten and Old Norse knýta (whence Danish knytte, Norwegian Nynorsk knyta). More at knot.
Meanings
A knitted garment.
There are grey Grecian tops and a light, sheer, silver cardigan. Stylish dark grey tailored trousers, silver thongs and shiny jet-black stilettos. Black sheer blouses with squared bib fronts, and expensive-looking black and dark grey woollen knits. 2012, Melanie Calvert, Freycinet, page 105:
A session of knitting.
It's always time for a bit of a knit. 2014, Elvira Woodruff, To Knit or Not to Knit:
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gnod-der.?
Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu
Proto-Indo-European *ǵnu-tonder.?
Proto-Germanic *knuttô
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Germanic *-janą
Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną
Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan
Old English cnyttan
Middle English knytten
English knit
Inherited from Middle English knytten, from Old English cnyttan, from Proto-West Germanic *knuttijan, from Proto-Germanic *knuttijaną, from *knuttô + *-janą.
Cognate with Low German knütten and Old Norse knýta (whence Danish knytte, Norwegian Nynorsk knyta). More at knot.
Meanings
(ambitransitive) To turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other. This can be done by hand with needles or by machine.
to knit a stocking
The first generation knitted to order; the second still knits for its own use; the next leaves knitting to industrial manufacturers.
I knitted swatches in a cable pattern to see how the different hapazome tachniques and yarn weights affected the appearance of the cables. 2026, Stefanie Johnson, “Speckles and Tonals”, in Spin Off, volume L, number 1, page 53:
(ambitransitive) To create a stitch by pulling the working yarn through an existing stitch from back to front.
Stitches that are knitted look like little V’s when seen from the front.
(figuratively, transitive) To join closely and firmly together.
Her office there to rear, to teach,
Becoming as is meet and fit
A link among the days, to knit
The generations each with each; 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXIX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 60:
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 18:1:
Come, knit hands, and beate the ground
In a light fantastick round. 1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, page 6:
The fight for survival knitted the men closely together.
Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit,
To thee I send this written embassage, 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 26”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:
Nature cannot knit the bones while the parts are under a discharge. 1672, Richard Wiseman, A Treatise of Wounds, London: Richard Royston:
(intransitive) To become closely and firmly joined; become compacted.
(intransitive) To grow together.
All those seedlings knitted into a kaleidoscopic border.
(transitive) To combine from various elements.
The witness knitted together his testimony from contradictory pieces of hearsay.
(intransitive, of bones) To heal following a fracture.
I’ll go skiing again after my bones knit.
(transitive) To form into a knot, or into knots; to tie together, as cord; to fasten by tying.
[He] saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners […] 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 10:11:
When your head did but ache,
I knit my handkercher about your brows, c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
(transitive) To draw together; to contract into wrinkles.
But meet him now, and be it in the Morne, / When euery one will giue the time of day, / He knits his Brow and ſhewes an angry Eye, / And paſſeth by with ſtiffe vnbowed Knee, / Diſdaining dutie that to vs belongs. 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 130, column 2:
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
knitting
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
knat
Tense=Past
dialectal
lexicographic
knit
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
knit
Tense=Past
lexicographic
knitted
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
knits
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
knitten
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
dialectal
lexicographic
Coordinates
purl (create a stitch by pulling yarn through from back)
hy հյուսել (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy asio (intransitive: to become closely joined) · km ស្រែះ (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · es curarse (to heal following a fracture) · it ricostruire (to combine from various elements) · sk štrikovať (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · vi đan (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · mi nitiniti (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · it guarire (to heal following a fracture) · sk pliesť (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · pt fazer ponto (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · nl breien (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · bg съединявам (to combine from various elements) · fr souder (to join closely together) · sh плести (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ltg adeit (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy clymu (to join closely together) · cs plést (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · uz toʻqimoq (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · lo ຖັກ (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · it compattare (intransitive: to become closely joined) · ru спла́чивать (to join closely together) · kw gwia (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · es tejer (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ba бәйләү (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ms mengait (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ka ქსოვა (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ka შეერთება (to join closely together) · pl dziać (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fr échafauder (to combine from various elements) · fi yhdistyä (intransitive: to become closely joined) · fi neuloa (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fi hitsata (to join closely together) · is prjóna (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · tpi samap (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ro împleti (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy ymasio (intransitive: to become closely joined) · da strikke (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · gd figh (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ro croșeta (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · lb strécken (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · tr örmek (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · nrf ouvrer (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · sq ngjit (to join closely together) · nl aaneengroeien (intransitive: to become closely joined) · be вяза́ць (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ko 뜨다 (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · es soldarse (intransitive: to become closely joined) · fi yhdistää (to join closely together) · it sferruzzare (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · my ထိုး (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fi hitsautua (intransitive: to become closely joined) · ba бәйҙәү (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fr tricoter (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ga cniotáil (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · aii ܣܵܪܹܓ݂ (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · nl samenbreien (to combine from various elements) · nl aaneenbreien (to join closely together) · it legare (to join closely together) · fi kutoa (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · sl plesti (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · mg manao ba (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · es construir (to combine from various elements) · es recomponerse (to heal following a fracture) · es elaborar (to combine from various elements) · mi tūhoto (to join closely together) · cy uno (to join closely together) · sq qep (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy asio (to heal following a fracture) · id merajut (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · lt megzti (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ro tricota (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · pt soldar (to join closely together) · pt construir (to combine from various elements) · pt elaborar (to combine from various elements) · sq ngjitur (intransitive: to become closely joined) · cy asio (to join closely together) · ka შეზრდა (to join closely together) · es tricotar (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · de stricken (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · oc tricotar (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · af aanmekaarbrei (to join closely together) · it saldarsi (intransitive: to become closely joined) · it lavorare a maglia (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fr construire (to combine from various elements) · ar حَاكَ (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · id rajut (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · es curar (to heal following a fracture) · sh plesti (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy ymuno (intransitive: to become closely joined) · oc brocar (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · hu köt (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · eo triki (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ru вяза́ть (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · pt tricotar (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · it ricomporsi (to heal following a fracture) · fi punoa (to combine from various elements) · hi बुनना (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · th ถัก (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · it curare (to heal following a fracture) · fo binda (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ru связа́ть (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy cyd-dynnu (intransitive: to become closely joined) · bg плета́ (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · el πλέκω (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fr unir (to join closely together) · af brei (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · lv adīt (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · bg сплотявам (to join closely together) · fr élaborer (to combine from various elements) · no strikke (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · km ចាក់ (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · mk пле́те (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · mn сүлжих (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ca fer mitja (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · sq thur (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cmn 編織 /编织 (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · uk в'яза́ти (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · sq ndërthur (to combine from various elements) · cy gwau (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fi yhdistellä (to combine from various elements) · sq ndërthur (to join closely together) · az toxumaq (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cmn 織 /织 (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · es hacer punto (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · cy gweu (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fr tricoter à l’endroit (to create a stitch by pulling the yarn through from behind) · he סָרַג (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · sv sticka (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · fa بافتن (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ckb چنین (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · it elaborare (to combine from various elements) · pl robić na drutach (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · ru сплоти́ть (to join closely together) · ja 編む (to make fabric from thread or yarn) · tg бофтан (to make fabric from thread or yarn)