knap
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: archaeology
dice
etymology
gambling
games
history
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
Etymology: The verb is derived from Late Middle English knappen (“to strike (something)”); further etymology uncertain, probably related to Middle Dutch knappen, cnappen (“to break (something) with a sharp sound, snap; to crack or crackle”) (modern Dutch knappen), probably ultimately onomatopoeic.
The noun is derived from Late Middle English knap, knappe (“sharp blow, strike”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from the verb (see above), or related to an ancestor of Danish knep and Swedish knäpp (“a flick, rap, snap”), probably ultimately onomatopoeic.
Inflected forms:
form: knaps
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: knapping
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: knap
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: knap
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: knap
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: knappest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: knappedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: knaps
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: knappeth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: knap
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: knap
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: knap
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: knapping
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: knapped
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
Senses:
gloss: To break (something) into small pieces with a cracking sound; to fragment, to smash; also, to break (something) apart sharply; to snap.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: He hath made warres to ceaſſe in all the worlde: he hath broken the bowe, he hath knapped the ſpeare in ſonder, ⁊ brẽt [brent] the charettes in the fyre.
O God of peace vvhich makeſt an end of vvarre in al the vvorld, and breakeſt the bovve, and knappeſt the ſpeares aſunder, and burneſt the chariots vvith fire; protect vs from vvarre and ſlaughter; ſcatter the nations that delight in vvarre.
VVhy I tye about thy vvriſt, / Julia, this my ſilken tvvist, / […] / 'Tis but ſilke that bindeth thee; / Knap the thread, and thou art free; / But 'tis othervviſe vvith me: / I am bound, and faſt bound ſo, / That from thee I cannot go; / If I co'd, I vvo'd not so.
gloss: To break (something) into small pieces with a cracking sound; to fragment, to smash; also, to break (something) apart sharply; to snap.
pos: verb
tags: especially
specifically
transitive
examples: An average workman will knap 3,000 flints in a day of 12 hours, but a good one will make 4,000 at a pinch.
After every five or six shots, check the flint and tighten the jaws, if the flint has shifted. After twenty shots, flip the flint and dry fire the gun. This should knap the edge [of the flint].
Not all chert and non-chert materials are amenable to knapping. […] Because a knapper removes flakes by loading force into a small area of the target core, materials that contain many inclusions or are coarse-grained are difficult to knap – the inclusions deflect energy producing irregular results.
[O]ne knapper, who was very skilled and, therefore, presumed to be an adult, made highly standardized prismatic blades. These blades were widely distributed for use throughout the site – in fact, only 10 of the 50 blades and bladelets this individual crafted were found where they were knapped.
gloss: To strike (something) sharply; to knock, to rap.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Take one Veſſel of Siluer, and another of VVood, and fill each of them full of VVater, and then knap the Tongs together, as before, about an handfull from the Bottome, and you ſhall finde the Sound much more Reſounding from the Veſſel of Siluer, than from that of VVood: […] ſuch a Communication paſſeth farre better, thorovv VVater, than Aire.
"That will be sixpence," he said without looking up. She knapped her lips together and turned on her heel without another word.
gloss: Followed by off: to break (something) away from another thing by striking or tapping sharply.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: VVith his rod […] he knapt of the uppermoſt heads and tops of the poppies.
Its [i.e., the foment is] prevalent in fixt Scorbutic Pains, for as much as it ſuſtains the Tone of the parts, layeth the vveary Spirits to reſt, knappeth off the ſharp points of the Salts, and forceth the acrid Ichor to evaporate either by inſenſible Effluvia or Svveat.
gloss: To say (something) crisply or sharply.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
transitive
examples: [T]he evil spirit of the year sixteen hundred and forty-twa is at wark again as merrily as ever, and ilka [every] auld wife in the chimley-neuck will be for knapping doctrine wi' doctors o' divinity and the godly fathers o' the church.
And there's Leddy Glendochart that is a real credit to the family, and has travelled, and can knap English with the best—far better than you.
gloss: To break or fracture suddenly; to snap.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: In ſtringinge of your bovv […] you muſt mark the fit length of youre bovve. […] Yf it [the string] be longe, the bendynge muſt nedes be in the ſmal of the ſtring, vvhich beynge ſore tvvined muſte nedes knap in ſunder to yͤ diſtruction of manye good bovves.
gloss: To make a cracking or snapping sound; to crack, to snap.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: If the Thigh-bone be luxated invvard, and the Patient young and of a tender Conſtitution, it may be reduced by the Hand of the Chirurgeon: […] [H]e muſt ſuddenly force the Knee up tovvards the Belly, and preſs back the head of the Femur into its Acetabulum, and it vvill knap in.
gloss: To strike sharply.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
gloss: To speak crisply or sharply.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
gloss: To cheat while gambling, especially at a dice game.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
obsolete
Related words: knapsack
flake
hinge
pressure flaking
Derived words: flintknapper
flintknapping
knapbottle
knap it
knappable
knapped
knapper
knapping
knapple
nab
stone knapper
knappish
Translations:
lang: Finnish
word: napauttaa
lang: Finnish
word: lohkaista