English
kneel
Kneel comes from Middle English knelen ‘to kneel or genuflect’, from Old English cnēow ‘knee’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵónu‘knee’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*knewą‘knee’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kneu‘knee’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cnēow‘knee’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150cnēowlian‘to kneel’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knelen‘to kneel or genuflect’
- Englishearliest quotation 1833kneel
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵónu‘knee’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*knewą‘knee’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kneu‘knee’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cnēow‘knee’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150cnēowlian‘to kneel’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knelen‘to kneel or genuflect’
- Englishearliest quotation 1833kneel
Earliest quotation: 1833, Robert Pollok, The Course of Time: “Just when the damsel kneeled herself to pray.”
Formed from knee + -le
Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu
…
Proto-Germanic *knewą
Proto-West Germanic *kneu
Old English cnēo
Middle English kne ‘the knee’
English knee
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu ‘knee’
Today it means
verb To rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu / kneel