knap
English[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle English knappen (verb) and knappe (“strike”) (noun), an onomatopoeia.
Verb[edit]
knap (third-person singular simple present knaps, present participle knapping, simple past and past participle knapped)
- (transitive) To shape a brittle material having conchoidal fracture, usually a mineral (flint, obsidian, chert etc.), by breaking away flakes, often forming a sharp edge or point.
- (transitive) To rap or strike sharply.
- 1631, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] VVilliam Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], OCLC 1044372886:
- Knap the tongs together […] about a handful from the bottom.
- 1820, The Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, volume 8, no.43, page 81, October 1820.
- Some entered the ring in very bad condition, and immediately got a-piping, like hot mutton pies - fell on their own blows, and knapped it every round, till they shewed the white feather and bolted.
- 1977, Marilynne K. Roach, Encounters with the Invisible World, page 10, →ISBN.
- "That will be sixpence," he said without looking up. She knapped her lips together and turned on her heel without another word.
- (obsolete, UK, dialect) To bite; to bite off; to break short.
- 1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], OCLC 56485293:Psalms xlvi. 9
- He breaketh the bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder.
- 1821, John Clare, "The Village Minstrel":
- "Horses..turn'd to knap each other at their ease."
- To make a sound of snapping.
- 1676, Richard Wiseman, Severall Chirurgical Treatises
- Press back the head of the Femur into its Acetabulum , and it will knap in
- 1676, Richard Wiseman, Severall Chirurgical Treatises
Usage notes[edit]
(to shape a brittle material) In modern usage knap is restricted to the specific technique of percussion flaking whereby flakes are removed across an entire face or facet leaving a conchoidal fracture. It is distinguished from the more general verb chip and is different from "carve" (removing only part of a face), and "cleave" (breaking along a natural plane). The term is used in archaeology for the production of flaked stone tools and in gunsmithing for the production of gunflints. Knap is rarely used in stonemasonry except to denote fine chipping done with smaller hammers but without the chisel.
Synonyms[edit]
- (break flakes from brittle material): chip
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Noun[edit]
knap (plural knaps)
- A sharp blow or slap.
- 2012, Andrew Ashenden, Basics of Stage Combat: Unarmed, →ISBN.
- It tells the audience the punch was thrown, they hear a knap, and the victim is 'injured'.
- 2012, Andrew Ashenden, Basics of Stage Combat: Unarmed, →ISBN.
See also[edit]
- conchoidal
- flake
- hinge
- pressure flaking
Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle English knappe (“knob”), from Old English cnæp, akin to cnotta (“knot”).
Noun[edit]
knap (plural knaps) (chiefly dialect)
- A protuberance; a swelling; a knob.
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, OCLC 863521290:
- you shall see many fine seats set upon a knap of ground
- The crest of a hill
- A small hill
- 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the VVorld. Commonly Called, The Natvrall Historie of C. Plinivs Secvndus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, published 1635, OCLC 1180792622:
- the highest part and knap of the same Iland
References[edit]
knap in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Danish[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Likely related to næppe (“hardly at all”)
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
knap
Inflection[edit]
Inflection of knap | |||
---|---|---|---|
Positive | Comparative | Superlative | |
Common singular | knap | — | —2 |
Neuter singular | knapt | — | —2 |
Plural | knappe | — | —2 |
Definite attributive1 | knappe | — | — |
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively. |
Adverb[edit]
knap
Etymology 2[edit]
From Old Norse knappr, from Proto-Germanic *knappô.
Noun[edit]
knap c (singular definite knappen, plural indefinite knapper)
Inflection[edit]
common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | knap | knappen | knapper | knapperne |
genitive | knaps | knappens | knappers | knappernes |
Dutch[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Of unknown origin. Found only in Dutch and Low German (whence German knapp). Compare Ancient Greek κνάπτω (knáptō, “to card wool”), κνέφαλλον (knéphallon, “flock, wool”), compared in the sense of "tight-fitting, shapely."[1][2]
Adjective[edit]
knap (comparative knapper, superlative knapst)
- smart, intelligent, gifted, talented, clever
- impressive
- Oh, dat is best knap.
- Oh, that's pretty impressive.
- Synonym: netjes
- attractive, beautiful, handsome
- Synonym: aantrekkelijk
Inflection[edit]
Inflection of knap | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
uninflected | knap | |||
inflected | knappe | |||
comparative | knapper | |||
positive | comparative | superlative | ||
predicative/adverbial | knap | knapper | het knapst het knapste | |
indefinite | m./f. sing. | knappe | knappere | knapste |
n. sing. | knap | knapper | knapste | |
plural | knappe | knappere | knapste | |
definite | knappe | knappere | knapste | |
partitive | knaps | knappers | — |
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- → Caribbean Javanese: knap
Adverb[edit]
knap
Etymology 2[edit]
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb[edit]
knap
References[edit]
- ^ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “knap2”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute
- ^ P.A.F. van Veen en N. van der Sijs (1997), Etymologisch woordenboek: de herkomst van onze woorden, 2e druk, Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht/Antwerpen
Middle English[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Old English cnæp.
Noun[edit]
knap
- Alternative form of knappe (“knob”)
Etymology 2[edit]
Possibly onomatopoeic.
Noun[edit]
knap
- Alternative form of knappe (“strike”)
Serbo-Croatian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Adjective[edit]
knap (Cyrillic spelling кнап)
Adverb[edit]
knap (Cyrillic spelling кнап)
Related terms[edit]
Swedish[edit]
Noun[edit]
knap
- A cleat
Anagrams[edit]
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/æp
- Rhymes:English/æp/1 syllable
- English terms with homophones
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English onomatopoeias
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with obsolete senses
- British English
- English dialectal terms
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Danish/ap
- Rhymes:Danish/ap/1 syllable
- Danish lemmas
- Danish adjectives
- Danish adverbs
- Danish terms inherited from Old Norse
- Danish terms derived from Old Norse
- Danish terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Danish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Danish nouns
- Danish common-gender nouns
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch terms with unknown etymologies
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch adjectives
- Dutch terms with usage examples
- Dutch adverbs
- Dutch non-lemma forms
- Dutch verb forms
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Serbo-Croatian terms derived from German
- Serbo-Croatian lemmas
- Serbo-Croatian adjectives
- Serbo-Croatian colloquialisms
- Serbo-Croatian adverbs
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns