Etymology

knocker

knock·er
K5N1O1C3K5E1R1

Today it means: A device, usually hinged with a striking plate, used for knocking on a door. Full definition →

First used 18th to 19th c.English knock ← Middle English knokken ← Old English cnocian
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic*knukô
  2. Proto-Germanic*knukōną
  3. Proto-West Germanic*knokōn
  4. Old Englishcnocian
  5. Middle Englishknokken
  6. Englishknock
  7. English todayknocker

From knock + -er.

First known use, by meaning

  • 18th to 19th c. A dwarf, goblin, or sprite imagined to dwell in mines and to indicate the presence of ore by knocking.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.