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Origin and history of knee

knee(n.)

"joint between the principal bones of the leg," Old English cneo, cneow "knee," from Proto-Germanic *knewa- (source also of Old Norse kne, Old Saxon kneo, Old Frisian kni, Middle Dutch cnie, Dutch knie, Old High German kniu, German Knie, Gothic kniu), from PIE root *genu- (1) "knee; angle." For pronunciation, see kn-.

To be across (someone's) knee in reference to spanking is from 1866. Knee-breeches is from 1827; knee-pants is from 1858. Knee-slapper "funny joke" is from 1955.

knee(v.)

early 13c., "to bend the knee, kneel," from Old English cneowian, from cneow (see knee (n.)). The meaning "to strike with the knee" is first recorded 1892. Related: Kneed; kneeing.

also from early 13c.

Entries linking to knee

kneecap(n.)

1650s, "a covering or protection for the knee," from knee (n.) + cap (n.). Meaning "bone in front of the knee joint" is from 1869; the verb in the underworld sense of "to shoot (someone) in the knee" as punishment is attested by 1975. Related: Kneecapped.

knee-deep(adj.)

c. 1400, "up to the knees," from knee (n.) + deep (adj.).

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Trends of knee

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

stifle
late 14c., stuflen, "have difficulty breathing, choke, suffocate; drown, suffocate by drowning," a word of of uncertain origin, possibly an alteration of Old French estouffer "to stifle, smother" (Modern French étouffer), itself of uncertain etymology but perhaps from a Germanic
genuine
[Alternative etymology is from Latin genu "knee," from a supposed ancient custom of a father acknowledging paternity of a...newborn by placing it on his knee.]...
garter
fastening to keep a stocking in place on the leg," early 14c., from Old North French gartier "band just above or below the knee..." (Old French jartier, 14c., Modern French jarretière), from garet/jaret "bend of the knee," perhaps from Gaulish (compare...
ham
" (especially salted and cured or smoke-dried), 1630s, extended from earlier sense of "part of the human leg behind the knee...; hock of a quadruped," from Old English hamm "hollow or bend of the knee," from Proto-Germanic *hamma- (source also of Old...
knuckle
"submit, give in" is first recorded 1740, supposedly from the former more general sense of "knuckle" and here meaning "knee...
pantaloons
By 1798 the word was revived in reference to tight long trousers buttoned or tied below the knee (replacing knee-breeches...
hock
Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (source also of German Hachse "hock," Old English hæla "heel"), from PIE *kenk- (3) "heel, bend of the knee...
articulation
early 15c., articulacioun (Chauliac), "a joint or joining; setting of bones," from Old French articulation, from Medieval Latin articulationem (nominative articulatio) "separation into joints," noun of action from past-participle stem of articulare "to separate (meat) into joints
joint
c. 1300, "an (anatomical) joint, a part of a body where two bones meet and move in contact with one another, the structure that holds such bones together," from Old French joint "joint of the body" (12c.), from Latin iunctus "united, connected, associated," past participle of iun
leg
late 13c., from a Scandinavian source, probably Old Norse leggr "a leg, bone of the arm or leg," from Proto-Germanic *lagjaz (cognates Danish læg, Swedish läg "the calf of the leg"), a word with no certain ulterior connections. Perhaps from a PIE root meaning "to bend" [Buck]. Fo

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Dictionary entries near knee
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