knot

(nŏt)
n.

1. 1. A compact intersection of interlaced material, such as cord, ribbon, or rope.
   2. A fastening made by tying together lengths of material, such as rope, in a prescribed way.
2. A decorative bow of ribbon, fabric, or braid.
3. A unifying bond, especially a marriage bond.
4. A tight cluster of persons or things: a knot of onlookers.
5. A feeling of tightness: a knot of fear in my stomach.
6. A complex problem.
7. 1. A hard place or lump, especially on a tree, at a point from which a stem or branch grows.
   2. The round, often darker cross section of such a lump as it appears on a piece of cut lumber. Also called node.
8. A protuberant growth or swelling in a tissue: a knot in a gland.
9. 1. Nautical. A division on a log line used to measure the speed of a ship.
   2. (Abbr. kn. or kt.) A unit of speed, one nautical mile per hour, approximately 1.85 kilometers (1.15 statute miles) per hour.
   3. A distance of one nautical mile.

v., knot·ted, knot·ting, knots.

v.tr.

1. To tie in or fasten with a knot or knots.
2. To snarl or entangle.
3. To cause to form a knot or knots.

v.intr.

1. To form a knot or knots.
2. To become snarled or entangled.

[Middle English, from Old English cnotta.]

USAGE NOTE   In nautical usage knot is a unit of speed, not of distance, and has a built-in meaning of "per hour." Therefore, a ship would strictly be said to travel at ten knots (not ten knots per hour).

knot² (nŏt)
n.
Either of two migratory sandpipers (Calidris canutus or C. tenuirostris) that breed in Arctic regions.

[Middle English, of Scandinavian origin.]

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length See below.

speed 1 nautical mile per hour.

Internat 1955 1.852 km·h^-1 (0.514 4~ m·s^-1, 1.687 8~ ft s^-1, 1.1508~ m.p.h.). The 1978 decision of the CIPM considering it acceptable to continue to use the knot with the SI still stands.

UK To 1975, 6 080 ft·h^-1 (1.853 2 km·h^-1, 0.514 77~ m·s^-1, 1.151 5~ m.p.h.).

USA To 1954, 6 080.2 ft·h^-1 (1.853 2 km·h^-1, 0.514 79~ m·s^-1, 1.151 6~ m.p.h.).

The term relates to knotted markers at regular intervals on the log line, this being drawn out from a ship's stern by a float that would effectively stay fixed (relative to the sea rather than earthly position, hence measuring speed relative to the surface currents rather than the map). It was common in earlier times to have a sand-glass of appropriate duration against which to count the knots being drawn out, e.g. a 28-second timer and knots tied at nearly 4 fathoms spacing (correctly 3.985 2~ fathom, 14.41~ m, 47.29~ ft) would give a direct result in knots. As a unit of length, the term knot applies to this distance. (However, confusion sometimes results in the term being used to mean the nautical mile, with the speed expressed in knots per hour; such usage is grossly erroneous.)

noun

1. That which unites or binds: bond, ligament, ligature, link, nexus, tie, vinculum, yoke. See connect.
2. A number of individuals making up or considered a unit: array, band², batch, bevy, body, bunch, bundle, clump, cluster, clutch², collection, group, lot, party, set². See group.
3. Something that is intricately and often bewilderingly complex: cat's cradle, entanglement, jungle, labyrinth, maze, mesh (often used in plural), morass, skein, snarl², tangle, web. See simple/complex.
4. A part that protrudes or extends outward: bulge, jut, knob, overhang, projection, protrusion, protuberance. See convex/concave.
5. An unevenness or elevation on a surface: bump, hump, knob, lump¹, nub, protuberance. See convex/concave.
6. A small raised area of skin resulting from a light blow or an insect sting, for example: bump, bunch, lump¹, swelling. See convex/concave.

verb

To make fast or firmly fixed, as by means of a cord or rope: bind, fasten, secure, tie, tie up. See keep/release, tighten/loosen.

n

Definition: bow, loop
Antonyms: line

v

Definition: weave, complicate
Antonyms: unknot, untie

[nät]

n. 1. a unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, used especially of ships, aircraft, and winds.

2. a length marked by knots on a log line, as a measure of speed: some days the vessel logged 12 knots.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Have long figured in magic. It was widely held that by tying three (or nine) knots on a lace or thread, witches could render a man impotent; according to the astrologer Simon Forman early in the 17th century, this was done during the wedding ceremony itself, with the words ‘Whom God hath joined together let the Devil separate; sara till these knots be undone’. Similarly, as told in the ballad ‘Willie's Lady’, a witch might prevent a woman in labour from giving birth by secretly knotting her hair ribbons (Opie and Tatem, 1989: 220-1; F. J. Child, English and Scottish Ballads, no. 6). It was believed witches would ‘sell the wind’ to sailors in a cord with three knots; untying the first would bring a fine breeze, the second a high wind, the third a destructive storm; this is usually told of witches abroad—in Scandinavia, Scotland, the Isle of Man, or Ireland—rather than in home ports (Opie and Tatem, 1989: 446-7).

Knotting one's garter was a relatively simple form of divination, which unlike most could be practised on any night of the year, to reveal one's destined partner in a dream. Aubrey's recipe is to tie one's left garter to one's right stocking and recite the following verses, making a further knot at each comma: ‘This knot I knit, To know the thing, I know not yet, That I may see, The man (woman) that shall my husband (wife) be, How he goes, And what he wears, And what he does, all days, and years’ (Aubrey, 1696: 131-2). Knotted threads were also used as cures for whooping cough, sprains, nosebleed, and warts; in the first three cases they were worn by the patient, but for the last they were touched to each wart and then thrown away to decay (Opie and Tatem, 1989: 221-4).

1. In medieval architecture, a bunch of leaves, flowers, or similar ornament, as the bosses at the intersections of ribs, and bunches of foliage in capitals.
2. An ornamental design resembling cords which are interlaced.
3. The hard, cross-grained mass of wood formed in a trunk at the place where a branch joins the trunk.
4. In fabric construction, the presence of an imperfection that will cause a surface irregularity.

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Jacques Lacan used a topological structure of the knot to define the relationship of the symbolic, the real, and the imaginary.

In particular, he referred to the structure of rings on the coat of arms of the Borromei family. After introducing this notion on February 9, 1972, in his seminar ". . . ou pire" (. . . or worse), he made the knot a central focus of his theory.

In mathematical terms, a knot is a simple closed curve (Jordan's curve). Lacan mainly considered two nodal structures (Figure 1):

• The Borromean Knot: three component loops joined together in such a way that when one loop is cut the other two are no longer connected;
• The clover-leaf knot: the three components have been connected together into a single continuous loop.

For Lacan, the knot symbolizes the Imaginary. As an imaginary construct, it gives consistency to the symbolic. Taken symbolically, the knot represents the undecidability of the real or imaginary.

The knot is an object located in space. A two-dimensional representation of it is made by means of crossings over or under. The knot's structure is determined by what crosses over or under what. However, the knot's structure is not dependent on its representation. Indeed, it was to translate representation into structure that an algebraic writing system for knots was developed. This writing system was refined over the course of the twentieth century and gradually made it possible to distinguish among different types of knots. In this system, the knot's topological loops become letters (in the form of polynomials). This marks the fact that the knot originates in the lost letter.

In Lacan's spoken lectures, the knot functioned first and foremost as a piece of writing. This called into question of the relationship between speech and writing, and showed that "writeability" is essential to the formation of the unconscious (Sigmund Freud's "Letter 52" to Wilhelm Fliess). "The unconscious can only be expressed in knots of language" (Lacan).

Bibliography

Darmon, Marc. Essais sur la topologie lacanienne. Paris:Éditions de l'A.F.I., 1990.

Freud, Sigmund. (1950a [1896]). Letter 52. Stratification of memory traces. SE, 1: 234-240.

Lacan, Jacques. (1971-1972). Le séminaire Livre XIX: . . . Ou pire. Unpublished.

——. (2002). The instance of the letter in the unconscious, or Reason since Freud. InÉcrits: A selection (pp. 138-168). (Bruce Fink, Trans.). New York: W. W. Norton. (Original work published 1966)

—HENRI CESBRON LAVAU

To convert from knots to:

feet/hr, multiply by 6080.
kilometers/hr, multiply by 1.852.
nautical miles/hr, multiply by 1.
statute miles/hr, multiply by 1.151.
yards/hr, multiply by 2025.73.
feet/sec, multiply by 1.6878.

Convert:  Into:  feet/hr kilometers/hr nautical miles/hr statute miles/hr yards/hr feet/sec

Result:

circular portion of a board or veneer that was once the base of a branch or twig growing from the trunk of a tree.

IN BRIEF: A fastening made by tying together lengths of material, such as rope, in a prescribed way.

He learned to tie twenty knots for his scout badge.

Tutor's tip: If "not" (an expression of negation) for the "knot" (a fastening that binds together rope or chord, etc.) the rope would have broke and our efforts been naught.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: Both X hands come together and make a twisting motion.

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A knot is an obvious symbol of constraints and restrictions on one's freedom of thought, feelings, or actions, indicating a difficult situation that needs to be untied. Anxieties about getting married ("tying the knot") are sometimes denoted by this dream symbol. More positively, a knot can symbolize control, and having something "all wrapped up." (See also Necktie).

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A speed of 1 NM/h, 1.1508 statute miles/hour, 1.852 km/h, or 0.5144 m/s. It is the most common measure of speed used in aerial navigation.

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adjective
adjective

get knotted! an expression of disbelief, annoyance, etc. (1963 —) .
G. Lyall 'I'll lend you a good book about security.' 'Get knotted, Major' (1972).

[From knot verb, to tie in a knot.]

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1. an intertwining of the ends or parts of one or more threads, sutures, or strips of cloth. See square knot, granny knot, half-hitch knot, packet knot and surgeon's knot.
2. in anatomy, a knob-like swelling or protuberance.

Types of knots. By permission from Fossum TW, Small Animal surgery, Mosby, 2001

For a list of words related to knot, see:

• Hair Styles - knot: hair rolled or twisted into tight mass
• Animal Groups - knot: group of toads
• Waders and shorebirds
• Winds - knot: measure of wind velocity equal to 1 nautical mile per hour
• Special Measures - knot: rate of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour
• Knots - knot: interlacing, looping, bending, hitching, or folding together of pliant, slender length of cord or rope so as to fasten, bind, or connect two such lengths together or one length to something else
• Seamanship and Port - knot: unit of speed equal to 6076 feet (1851 m) per hour or one nautical mph
• Shapes - knot: interlacing or tying of strands
• Order, Hierarchy, and Systems - knot: cluster of things together

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See words rhyming with "knotting."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Knot.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - knude, sløjfe, vanskelighed, intrige
v. tr. - binde, binde i knude
v. intr. - binde, binde i knude

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    komme i vanskeligheder, vikle sig ind i selvmodsigelser

2.
n. - islandsk ryle

Nederlands (Dutch)
knoop, groepje, het huwelijk, knobbel, schouderlap, moeilijkheid, kern (van probleem/plot etc.), knopen, vastknopen, in de knoop raken, de gelijkmaker scoren (sport)

Français (French)
1.
n. - n¯ud, (fig) lien, n¯ud (gordien), (Naut) n¯ud, n¯ud (sur un arbre), (fig) n¯ud (d'un problème), (fig) petit groupe (de gens)
v. tr. - nouer, faire un n¯ud à
v. intr. - faire un ou des n¯ud(s)

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    s'embourber

2.
n. - (Orn) bécasseau, maubèche

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Knoten, Achselstück, Kokarde, Verwicklung, Haufen, Verbindung
v. - knoten, verknüpfen, binden, verwirren, sich verheddern

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    in Verwirrung geraten

2.
n. - (zool) Knutt, Isländischer Strandläufer

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κόμπος, ρόζος, φιόγκος, γρόμπος, (ναυτ.) κόμβος, ναυτικό μίλι, δυσκολία, ομάδα, παρέα, (μτφ.) σφίξιμο, (μτφ.) δυσεπίλυτο πρόβλημα, δεσμός (γάμου κ.λπ.), όμιλος ανθρώπων, (μτφ.) πηγαδάκι
v. - δένω (σε) κόμπο, γρομπιάζω

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    μπουρδουκλώνομαι

Italiano (Italian)
annodare, crocchia, nodo

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    essere confusi e ansiosi
• tie the knot    sposarsi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nó (m), laço (m), amarra (f), vínculo (m), grupo (m), protuberância (f)
v. - amarrar, atar, dar nó

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    encrencar-se
• tie the knot    fazer o nó, apertar o nó

Русский (Russian)
узел, шнурок, важный момент, группа людей, судорога, союз, нарост, ком

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    запутаться в чем-то
• tie the knot    вступить в брак

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - moño, rodete, lazo, haz, nudo
v. tr. - anudar, atar
v. intr. - anudarse, atarse

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    crearse dificultades, enredarse

2.
n. - (orn) canuto, lavandera

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kustsnäppa, knut, knop, knop (hastighet)
v. - knyta, fästa (m knut), trassla till

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 结, 蝴蝶结, 花结, 节疤, 把...打结, 使密切结合, 捆扎, 打结

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    对某事困惑, 使自己紧张

2. 节, 海里

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 結, 蝴蝶結, 花結, 節疤
v. tr. - 把...打結, 使密切結合, 捆紮
v. intr. - 打結

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    對某事困惑, 使自己緊張

2.
n. - 節, 海里

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 매듭, 얽힌 것, 무리, 결절, 곤란, 핵심, 인연
v. tr. - ~을 맺다, ~을 혹으로 만들다, 얽히게 하다, 찌푸리다
v. intr. - 얽히다, 매듭이 생기다

idioms:

• tie oneself in a knot    매듭으로 매다

2.
n. - 붉은 어깨도요

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 結び目, 結びひも, ちょう結び, もつれ, 節, 盛り上がり, 群れ, きずな, 縁, こぶ, 要点
v. - 結ぶ, 結び目を作る, もつれさせる

idioms:

• surgeon's knot    外科結び

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) العقدة الموجودة في الخشب, عقدة, وحدة سرعه بحريه (فعل) يعمل عقدة, يعقد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קשר, לולאה, קישור, סיקוס (בעץ), חבורה, סרט-קישוט, הסתבכות בשיער, בעיה, גוש רקמה נוקשה בגוף, מיל ימי (2581 מטר), יחידת מהירות בים ובאוויר - מיל ימי בשעה, בליטה על גזע או גבעול, קושי, נקודה מרכזית בעלילת סיפור‬
v. tr. - ‮עשה קשר (בחבל וכו'), סיבך, כיווץ (את הגבות)‬
v. intr. - ‮קשר קשרי ציציות‬
n. - ‮עוף-הביצה‬

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