cnif

Middle English

Noun

cnif

1. Alternative form of knyf

Old English

Etymology

This word is the expected reflex of Proto-Germanic *knībaz (“knife”), but it is not attested until the 11th century and earlier Old English instead used seax and meteseax (cognate with German Messer), so some suspect that cnīf was borrowed from or reinforced by Old Norse knífr. Cognate with Middle Low German knīf, Middle Dutch cnijf (Dutch knijf), German Kneif.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kniːf/

Noun

cnīf m

1. knife

Declension

Declension of cnīf (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	cnīf	cnīfas
accusative	cnīf	cnīfas
genitive	cnīfes	cnīfa
dative	cnīfe	cnīfum

Descendants

• Middle English: knyf, knif
  • Scots: knyfe, knife
  • English: knife
    • Sranan Tongo: nefi
  • Yola: kunnife
  • → French: canif