English

knothead

From knot + head.

A compound of knot + head

Proto-Germanic *knuttô ‘a knot’

Proto-West Germanic *knottō

Old English cnotta

Middle English knotte ‘knot, tie’

English knot

Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’

…

Proto-Germanic *haubudą ‘head’

Proto-West Germanic *haubud

Old English hēafod ‘head’

Middle English heed ‘head’

English head

Today it means

noun A stupid or stubborn person.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / knothead