knaw

English

Etymology 1

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Verb

knaw (third-person singular simple present knaws, present participle knawing, simple past and past participle knawed)

1. Archaic spelling of gnaw.

Etymology 2

Verb

knaw (third-person singular simple present knaws, present participle knawing, simple past knawed, past participle knawn)

1. Nonstandard form of know.

Anagrams

• wank, Wank, kwan, kawn, Kwan

Middle English

Noun

knaw

1. alternative form of knave

Middle Welsh

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Old Irish cnáim (“bone”), but at any rate ultimately from Proto-Celtic *knāmis, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (“leg”). Cognate with Ancient Greek κνήμη (knḗmē, “tibia”) and English ham.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /knau̯/

Noun

knaw m (plural kneu or knouein)

1. bone
2. skull

Descendants

• ⇒ Welsh: pencnaw (“end of a bone”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of knaw

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
knaw	gnaw	knaw / chnaw pronounced with /ŋ̊-/	chnaw

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Middle Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “cnaw”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Scots

Verb

knaw (third-person singular simple present knaws, present participle knawin, simple past knew, past participle knawn)

1. alternative form of know
   • 2000, Iain W D Forde, “Hale Ir Sindries - Buik Twa”, in SCOTS‎^[1], Edinburgh: University of Glasgow:

     Puir Tammas didna knaw at he hed g’nappit aff mair nor he cuid chowe, an, i fak he wes nou skin an birn i the hauns o a rank lurdan.

     Poor Thomas did not know that he had bitten off more than he could chew. In fact, he was now skin and bones in a rank loafer’s hands.

References

• Eagle, Andy, editor (2026), “knaw”, in The Online Scots Dictionary‎^[2]