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knot |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Knot \Knot\, n. [OE. knot, knotte, AS cnotta; akin to D. knot, OHG. chnodo chnoto G. knoten, Icel. kn?tr, Sw knut, Dan. knude, and perh. to L. nodus. Cf {Knout}, {Knit}.] 1. a A fastening together of the pars or ends of one or more threads, cords, ropes, etc., by any one of various ways of tying or entangling. b A lump or loop formed in a thread, cord, rope. etc., as at the end by tying or interweaving it upon itself c An ornamental tie, as of a ribbon. Note: The names of knots vary according to the manner of their making, or the use for which they are intended; as dowknot, reef knot, stopper knot, diamond knot, etc 2. A bond of union; a connection; a tie. ``With nuptial knot.'' --Shak. Ere we knit the knot that can never be loosed. --Bp. Hall. 3. Something not easily solved; an intricacy; a difficulty; a perplexity; a problem. Knots worthy of solution. --Cowper. A man shall be perplexed with knots, and problems of business, and contrary affairs. --South. 4. A figure the lines of which are interlaced or intricately interwoven, as in embroidery, gardening, etc ``Garden knots.'' --Bacon. Flowers worthy of paradise, which not nice art In beds and curious knots, but nature boon Poured forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain. --Milton. 5. A cluster of persons or things a collection; a group a hand; a clique; as a knot of politicians. ``Knots of talk.'' --Tennyson. His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries. --Shak. Palms in cluster, knots of Paradise. --Tennyson. As they sat together in small separate knots, they discussed doctrinal and metaphysical points of belief. --Sir W. Scott. 6. A portion of a branch of a tree that forms a mass of woody fiber running at an angle with the grain of the main stock and making a hard place in the timber. A loose knot is generally the remains of a dead branch of a tree covered by later woody growth. 7. A knob, lump, swelling, or protuberance. With lips serenely placid, felt the knot Climb in her throat. --Tennyson. 8. A protuberant joint in a plant. 9. The point on which the action of a story depends; the gist of a matter. [Obs.] I shoulde to the knotte condescend, And maken of her walking soon an end --Chaucer. 10. (Mech.) See {Node}. 11. (Naut.) a A division of the log line serving to measure the rate of the vessel's motion. Each knot on the line bears the same proportion to a mile that thirty seconds do to an hour. The number of knots which run off from the reel in half a minute, therefore, shows the number of miles the vessel sails in an hour. Hence: b A nautical mile, or 6080.27 feet; as when a ship goes eight miles an hour, her speed is said to be eight knots. 12. A kind of epaulet. See {Shoulder knot}. 13. (Zo["o]l.) A sandpiper ({Tringa canutus}), found in the northern parts of all the continents, in summer. It is grayish or ashy above, with the rump and upper tail coverts white, barred with dusky. The lower parts are pale brown, with the flanks and under tail coverts white. When fat it is prized by epicures. Called also {dunne}. Note: The name is said to be derived from King Canute, this bird being a favorite article of food with him The knot that called was Canutus' bird of old Of that great king of Danes his name that still doth hold His appetite to please that far and near was sought. --Drayton. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Knot \Knot\, v. i. 1. To form knots or joints, as in a cord, a plant, etc.; to become entangled. Cut hay when it begins to knot. --Mortimer. 2. To knit knots for fringe or trimming. 3. To copulate; -- said of toads. [R.] --Shak. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Knot \Knot\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Knotted}; p. pr & vb n. {Knotting}.] 1. To tie in or with or form into a knot or knots; to form a knot on as a rope; to entangle. ``Knotted curls.'' --Drayton. As tight as I could knot the noose. --Tennyson. 2. To unite closely; to knit together. --Bacon. 3. To entangle or perplex; to puzzle. [Obs. or R.] From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Node \Node\, n. [L. nodus; perh. akin to E. knot. Cf {Noose}, {Nowed}.] 1. A knot, a knob; a protuberance; a swelling. 2. Specifically: a (Astron.) One of the two points where the orbit of a planet, or comet, intersects the ecliptic, or the orbit of a satellite intersects the plane of the orbit of its primary. b (Bot.) The joint of a stem, or the part where a leaf or several leaves are inserted. c (Dialing) A hole in the gnomon of a dial, through which passes the ray of light which marks the hour of the day the parallels of the sun's declination, his place in the ecliptic, etc d (Geom.) The point at which a curve crosses itself being a double point of the curve. See {Crunode}, and {Acnode}. e (Mech.) The point at which the lines of a funicular machine meet from different angular directions; -- called also {knot}. --W. R. Johnson. f (poet.) The knot, intrigue, or plot of a piece. g (Med.) A hard concretion or incrustation which forms upon bones attacked with rheumatism, gout, or syphilis; sometimes also a swelling in the neighborhood of a joint. --Dunglison. h (Mus) One of the fixed points of a sonorous string, when it vibrates by aliquot parts and produces the harmonic tones; nodal line or point. i (Zo["o]l.) A swelling. {Ascending node} (Astron.), the node at which the body is passing northerly, marked with the symbol [astascending], called the Dragon's head. Called also {northern node}. {Descending node}, the node at which the body is moving southwardly, marked thus [astdescending], called Dragon's tail. {Line of nodes}, a straight line joining the two nodes of an orbit. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: knot n 1: a tight cluster of people or things "a small knot of women listened to his sermon" 2: any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a rope (or cord) upon itself or to another rope or to another object 3: a hard cross-grained round piece of wood in a board where a branch emerged; "the saw buckled when it hit a knot" 4: something twisted and tight and swollen; "their muscles stood out in knots"; "the old man's fists were two great gnarls"; "his stomach was in knots" [syn: {gnarl}] 5: a unit of length used in navigation; equivalent to the distance spanned by one second of arc in latitude; 1,852 meters [syn: {nautical mile}, {mile}, {mi}, {naut mi}, {international nautical mile}, {air mile}] 6: soft lump or unevenness in a yarn; either an imperfection or created by design [syn: {slub}, {burl}] 7: sandpiper that breeds in the arctic and winters in the S hemisphere [syn: {grayback}, {Calidris canutus}] v 1: make into knots; make knots out of 2: tie or fasten into a knot 3: tangle or complicate; "a ravelled story" [syn: {ravel}, {tangle}] [ant: {unravel}, {unravel}]
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