knip

K5N1I1P3

A form of nip — To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.

OriginMiddle English *knippen ← Middle Dutch knippen →
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Meanings

verbknip (third-person singular simple present knips, present participle knipping, simple past and past participle knipped)

present singular third person knips · participle present knipping · participle past knipped · past knipped

  1. alternativedialectalobsoleteAlternative form of nip.
  2. alternativedialectalAlternative form of knep.

Origin

  1. Middle Dutchknippen
  2. Middle English*knippen
  3. Englishknip

Probably from late Middle English *knippen, from Middle Dutch knippen, whence modern Dutch knippen (“to cut, clip, snip”). Doublet of gnip and nip.

More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

pink
Cite this entry
APA

knip. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knip

MLA

“knip.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knip. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knip,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knip.

Source: knip on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.