knot: Meaning and Definition of

knot

Pronunciation: (not), [key]
— n., v., knot•ted, knot•ting.
—n.
  1. an interlacing, twining, looping, etc., of a cord, rope, or the like, drawn tight into a knob or lump, for fastening, binding, or connecting two cords together or a cord to something else.
  2. a piece of ribbon or similar material tied or folded upon itself and used or worn as an ornament.
  3. a group or cluster of persons or things: a knot of spectators.
  4. the hard, cross-grained mass of wood at the place where a branch joins the trunk of a tree.
  5. a part of this mass showing in a piece of lumber, wood panel, etc.
  6. a protuberance or swelling on or in a part or process, as in a muscle.
  7. a protuberance in the tissue of a plant; an excrescence on a stem, branch, or root; a node or joint in a stem, esp. when of swollen form.
  8. any of various fungal diseases of trees characterized by the formation of an excrescence, knob, or gnarl.
  9. an involved, intricate, or difficult matter; complicated problem.
    1. a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile or about 1.15 statute miles per hour.
    2. a unit of 47 feet 3 inches (13.79 meters) on a log line, marked off by knots.
    3. a nautical mile.
  10. a bond or tie: the knot of matrimony.
  11. in interpolation, one of the points at which the values of a function are assigned.
  12. to marry: They will tie the knot in November.
—v.t.
  1. to tie in a knot; form a knot in.
  2. to secure or fasten by a knot.
  3. to form protuberances, bosses, or knobs in; make knotty.
—v.i.
  1. to become tied or tangled in a knot.
  2. to form knots or joints.

knot

Pronunciation: (not), [key]
— n.
  1. either of two large sandpipers, Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris, that breed in the Arctic and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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