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Origin and history of knead

knead(v.)

Old English cnedan "to knead, manipulate by squeezing or pressing," from Proto-Germanic *knedan (source also of Old Saxon knedan, Middle Dutch cneden, Dutch kneden, Old High German knetan, German kneten, Old Norse knoða "to knead"). Originally a strong verb (past tense cnæd, past participle cneden). For pronunciation, see kn-. The evolution of the vowel is unusual. Related: Kneaded; kneading.

Entries linking to knead

kn-

Middle English spelling of a common Germanic consonant-cluster (in Old English it was graphed as cn-; see K). The sound it represented persists in most of the sister languages, but in English it was reduced to "n-" in standard pronunciation by 1750, after about a century of weakening and fading. It was fully voiced in Old and Middle English.

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    massage
    "application with the hands of pressure and strain upon muscles and joints of the body for therapeutic purposes," 1874, from French massage "friction of kneading" (by 1819), from masser "to massage," possibly from Arabic massa "to touch, feel, handle;" if so, probably the word wa
    work
    Old English weorc, worc "something done, discrete act performed by someone, action (whether voluntary or required), proceeding, business; that which is made or manufactured, products of labor," also "physical labor, toil; skilled trade, craft, or occupation; opportunity of expend
    among
    Ths second element is from Proto-Germanic *mangjan "to knead together," which is perhaps from a nasalized form of PIE root...*mag- "to knead, fashion, fit."...
    mingle
    English myngen "to mix," from Old English mengan (related to second element in among), from Proto-Germanic *mangjan "to knead...of Old Saxon mengian, Old Norse menga, Old Frisian mendza, German mengen), from a nasalized form of PIE root *mag- "to knead...
    shampoo
    of (the body) to restore tone and vigor," from Anglo-Indian shampoo, from Hindi champo, imperative of champna "to press, knead...
    mass
    adheres together like dough," probably from Greek maza "barley cake, lump, mass, ball," which is related to massein "to knead...," from PIE root *mag- "to knead, fashion, fit."...
    macerate
    related to maceria "garden wall," originally "of kneaded clay," probably from PIE *mak-ero-, suffixed form of root *mag- "to knead...
    rub
    early 14c., rubben, transitive and intransitive, "apply friction on a surface; massage (the body or a part of it)," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps related to East Frisian rubben "to scratch, rub," and Low German rubbeling "rough, uneven," or similar words in Scandinavian (co
    bur
    "prickly seed vessel of some plants," c. 1300, burre, from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish borre, Swedish hard-borre, Old Norse burst "bristle"), from PIE *bhars- (see bristle (n.)). It was transferred 1610s to "rough edge on metal," which might be the source of the sense "
    proof
    c. 1200, preove "evidence and argumentation to establish the fact of (something) beyond reasonable doubt," from Anglo-French prove, preove, Old French proeve, prueve "proof, test, experience" (13c., Modern French preuve), from Late Latin proba "a proof," a back-formation from Lat

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