knight-head 
sprit, to secure its inner end; also, one of two 
strong frames of timber which inclose and sup- 
port the ends of the windlass. 
knighthood (nit'hud), . [< MK. kni/</litlnni, 
ktiigtliinl, kiiilillml, knighthood (with the spe- 
cial sense of kiiii/ltt),(. AS. niilithnil, boyhood. 
< i-iii/it, liny, + Inul, condition: see kni/jlit and 
-bowl.] 1. The rank or dignity of a knight. 
Comandez the krm-lj to kaire of his lundes, 
Ore elles for thy ktwifhttu-ttt' cm -outre hyme onus. 
Murte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), L 131tf. 
Is this the sir who, some waste wife to win, 
A knitjhthood bought to go it-wooing in? B, Jonson. 
Many peers were, in virtue of their degree of Imiyhlhood, 
bannereu also. Stubbs, Count. Hist., ( 428. 
2. The body of knights; knightage. 
Thus curstly, that knighthode for a cause light, 
Voidet there victory for vanite" of speche. 
Destruction qf Troy (E. E. T. a), 1. 7120. 
The knighthood now-a-days are nothing like the kniyht- 
hood of old time. Chapman. 
3. Knightly character; the chivalric quality 
of conduct suitable to a knight. 
Merlin criede, "Oentill knyghtes, now vpon hem, and 
shewe youre knyahthode, Ifor vef ye do well at this en- 
countre, a-noon i In i shall go thelre wey." 
Merlin (E. E. T. S4 it 33f>. 
Beside the champions, all of high degree, 
Who kiuyhthood lov'd, and deeds of chivalry, 
Throng'd to the lists. Dryden, Pol. and Arc., lit 10. 
4t. Knightly deeds. 
Ther Pendragon dide merveloise knyyhthode a-monge 
his enmyes, and so dlde Vter; but I may not telle alle 
they well dedls. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), t. 56. 
Order of knighthood, an organized and duly constituted 
body of knights. The orders of knighthood arc of two 
classes: they are either fraternities, possessing property 
and rights of their own as independent bodies, or merely 
honorary associations established by sovereigns within 
their respective dominions. To the former class belonged 
three celebrated monastic military orders founded during 
the crusades the Knights Templars, Knights Hospital 
ers, and Teutonic Knights. The other class, consisting of 
orders merely titular, embraces most of the existing Eu- 
ropean orders, such as the < )rder of the Colden Fleece, the 
Order of the Holy Ghost, and the Order of St Michael 
The British orders are the Orders of the Garter, the Thistle, 
St. Patrick, the Bath. St. Michael and St. Oeorge, the Star 
of India, and the Indian Empire. The various orders have 
each Its appropriate insignia, which generally Include a 
badge or jewel, a collar, a ribbon of a certain color, and a 
star. See ftotftl, garter, order, star, thistle. 
knighthood-errant (nit'hud-er'ant), . Abody 
of knights errant. [Bare.] 
I was tiret of all the kings who drew 
The knitihthood-errant of this realm and all 
The realms together under me, their Head. 
Tennyson, Guinevere. 
knighthood-moneyt, . In Kng. hist., a fine 
payable by persons who refused to aceept the 
honor of knighthood. 
He wa fined in October, 1630, for refusing the honour 
of knighthood, a matter then lately brought up to obtain 
money for his majesties use. This money, which was paid 
by all persons of 40 11. per an. that refused to come in and 
be dub'd knights, was called kniyhthood-money. 
Hfe of A. Wood (1642) 
Knightia (ni'ti-a), M. [NL. (Robert Brown, 
1810), named after Thomas Andrew Knight,ouco 
president of the British Horticultural Society.] 
A genus of proteaceous plants of the tribe Em- 
botkriea;, made by Beichenbach the type of his 
division Kniijhtiete. They are trees or shrubs of New 
Zealand and New Caledonia, having sparse thick leaves 
and dense sessile racemes of flowers which are pedicellate 
in twos. The fruit is a hard, straight, or somewhat fal- 
cate pod. There are only three known species, one of 
which, K. excetea, a native of New Zealand, is a lofty tree, 
the so-called New Zealand oak or rewa-rewa, the wood of 
which is prized for Its mottled red and brown color, ren- 
dering it suitable for ornamental work and furniture. It 
also splits readily. The tree is sometimes cultivated asan 
ornamental shade-tree. The remaining two species are 
small trees of New Caledonia, differing In some important 
respects from the New Zealand type. 
Knightieae (m-ti'e-e), n. pi. [NL. (Beichen- 
bach, 1828), < Knightia + -ere.] A division of 
the Protructe, now included in the tribe Kmli- 
. 
knightlesst(nit'les), a. [<knight + -less.] Un- 
becoming a knight; uuknightly. 
Arise, thou cursed Miscreaunt, 
That hast with kniiiMlcxsr truile, and trecherous train, 
Fatre knighthood fowly shamed. Spenser, F. Q., I. vi. 41. 
knightliness (nit'li-nes), n. The character or 
quality of being knightly. 
He whilome some gentle swaine had beene, 
Trained up in tents of armes anil kiiiuMtinesse. 
Spenser, F. Q., IV. vli. 45. 
knightly (uit'li), . [< ME. ktwihtly, kui^tly, 
knightly, < AS. cnihtlic, boyish, youthful (= D. 
/.-in i-hti -lijk, servile), <cnilit, a boy: see knight and 
-/yl .] Of or pertaining to a knight or knights ; 
befitting a knight; chivalrous: as, a knii/htli/ 
combat. 
208 
A gentile knyght, was worthy and ualllant, 
\Vhich in kiti'jlitlif wcrke nener gan to faill. 
/(em. qf Partenay (E. E. T. S.X 1. 5744. 
Ill answer thee In any fair degree. 
Or chivalrous design of kmyhtlu trial. 
Shalt., Rich. II., I. 1, 81. 
knightly (nit'li), mlr. [(.knightly, n.~] In a man- 
ner like or becoming a knight; chivalrously. 
Say who thou art, 
And why thou com'st thus knvjMlii clad In arms. 
Shale., Rich. II., I. 8, 12. 
knight-service (nit'ser'vis), . The service 
due to the English crown as the condition of 
holding land. Thia was ordinarily a military service 
for forty days in each year at the pleasure of the sovereign, 
but it was commuted on occasion in such a way that of 
every three knights one should serve for a threefold term, 
the others aiding to equip him. 
knightship (nit'ship), . [< ME. knilitMpe, 
cntntscijie; < knight + -ship.] The state of be- 
ing a knight ; knighthood. [Bare.] 
knight's-spur (nits'sper), n. The larkspur, Del- 
/iliiitium Consolida : so called from the resem- 
blance of its long slender nectaries to the row- 
els of a spur. See cut under Delphinium. 
knightswort (nits' wert), . The water-soldier, 
Ntrntiotes aloides: so called from its sword-like 
leaves. 
knightweedt, [ME. knightweedc ; < knight + 
MV /'-'.] The dress and armor of a knight. 
Hee cast of his Knighticeede & clothes hym neew. 
With white sendal in syght seemely too knowe. 
AKsaunder oj Macedmne (E. E. T. S.), L 544. 
knillt, c. An obsolete variant of knett. 
knipt, v. An obsolete and more original form 
of nip. 
Kniphofla (nip- ho 'fi -a), n. [NL. (Moench, 
1794), named after Jotiann Hieronymus Kniji- 
hof of Erfurt, professor of anatomy, surgery, 
and botany.] A genus of large and showy lilia- 
ceous plants of the tribe ffemerocallete, having 
long, narrow leaves and reflexed spiked flow- 
ers with a narrow tubular perianth, short lobes, 
and hypogynous stamens. The dense racemes or 
spikes of yellow or scarlet Sowers are borne at the summit 
of tall, simple, leafless scapes, and are very showy and 
handsome. There are about 20 species, growing in South 
Africa and Madagascar. Several of these are in cultiva- 
tion as hardy plants, and are very effective in lawns or in 
front of shrubbery. Among these, A'. HitrcttfUii, K. aurea, 
and K. reeunata are perhaps the best known, and are 
called torch-lilies. K. tuotdes is called the qwen's-lily, and 
in the West Indies it goes by the name of red-hut poker 
plant. These plants are best known to florists under the 
name Tritonta, which has given way to the older name 
Kniphojia, under the rule of priority. 
knipperkint, . An obsolete form of niuiierkin. 
VUrfey. 
knit (nit), e.; pret. and pp. knitted (in literal 
use) or knit, ppr. knitting. [< ME. knitten, knyt- 
ten, knetten, knuttcn, < AS. cnyttan, cnittau (= 
LO. knutten, knuttcn = Icel. knyta, knytjtt = Dan. 
knytte = Sw. knyta), knit, knot, form into a knot, 
< cnotta, a knot: see nfi.] I. trans. 1. To 
tie together; tie with a knot; fasten by tying ; 
join by making into or as into a knot or knots. 
[Now chiefly poetical.] 
All the company enclinet, cairyn to ship ; 
Cachyn in cables, knyt vphor ancres. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.X L 4617. 
Y for I, in wryt is set 
Cryst for vs on croys was Intel. 
Political Poems, etc. (ed. Furnivall), p. 249. 
And [lie] saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel de- 
scending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the 
four corners. Acts x. 11. 
When your head did but ache, 
I knit my handkercher about your brows. 
Shak., K. John, iv. 1, 42. 
CMUII-, knit bauds, and beat the ground, 
In a light fantastick round. 
Milton, Conius, L 143. 
Hence 2f. To join the parts or ingredients 
of ; put together ; compound. 
If the gooseberry wine was well knit, the gooseberries 
were of her [Olivia s] gathering. Goldsmith, Vicar, xvi. 
3. To weave by looping or knotting a contin- 
uous thread; form by working up yarn or 
thread with knitting-needles (see knitting-nee- 
dle) into a fabric held together by a series of 
knots or interloopings : as, to knit stockings. 
Hence 4. To form as if by knotting or weav- 
ing; put together; join closely; bring into in- 
timate union. 
Ihesu, soothfast god and man, 
Two kindis knyt in oon persone. 
Hymns to Virgin, etc. (E. E. T. S.X p. IS. 
Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage 
Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit. 
Shak., Sonnets, xxvl. 
Every Society of Men is a Body made up of Head and 
Members knit and compacted together by Joints and 
Bands. Stillinijjtrrt, Sermons, III. i. 
knitting-cup 
Nature cannot knit the bones while the parts are under 
a discharge. Wurman, Surgery. 
5. To contract into folds or wrinkles: in the 
phrase l<> knit the brotc or 6rotc. 
What are the tin night* that knit thy brow in frowns, 
And turn thine eye thus coldly on thy prince? 
^(/(iuOTi, Cato, L 4. 
II. intrang. 1. To make a textile fabric by 
interlooping yarn or thread by means of nee- 
dles, etc. ; make knitted work. 
The process of kiMHwj by hand was known in England 
at the end of the 16th century, although it I* not known 
to what country it belongs nor when lint used. 
A. Barlow, Weaving, p. 4O8. 
In front of It [the guillotine], seated In chain. . . . are 
a number of women, busily knitting. 
Dickens, Tale of Two Cities, III. 15. 
2. To unite closely ; grow together: as, broken 
bones will in time knit and become sound. 
Our sever'd navy too 
Have knit again. Shak.. A. and C., Hi. 13, 171. 
When they separate from others, they kiut but loosely 
among themselves. Sir T. Browne, Religio Medici, I. 8. 
To knit up* , to wind up ; come to a close. 
It remaineth to knit up briefly with the nature and 
compass of the seas. Holland. 
knit (nit), H. [< ktiit, P.] 1. Union by knit- 
ting; knitted texture. 2. Style or stitch of 
knitting; character of the work produced by 
knitting. 
Their garters of an indifferent knit. 
Shak., T. of the S., iv. 1, 95. 
3. In mining, a small particle of lead ore: com- 
monly in the plural. Also nit, nitting. [Derby- 
shire, Eng.] 
knit-hackt, Comfrey. 
Confire [F.], the herb comfrey, consonnd, ass-ear, knit- 
back, hack wort. Cotgravr. 
knitch (nich), n. [< ME. knicche, knyche, knytche, 
kiiucclit, knocclie (= LG. G. knocke = Sw. dial. 
knokkit), a small bundle; prob. from an unre- 
corded AS.*cyecf,< citation, E. knock, as some- 
thing ' knocked ' or thrown together.] A small 
bundle ; a fagot. [Prov. Eng.] 
First gedre see to gedre dernels (or cockills) and bynd- 
eth hem to gedre in knytchit (or small buudelis) for to be 
brent, Wyclif, .Mat. xlli. 30. 
If I dared break a hedge for a knitch of wood, they'd 
put me in prison. Kingsley, Alton Locke, xxvlu. 
knitchet (nich'et), . [< knitek + dim. -et.] 
A small bundle or knitch. 
When the said stems are slit and cloven, they must be 
laid abroad to dry in the sun ; when they be dried, they 
ought to be made up into knitcheU or handfulg. 
Holland, tr. of Pliny, . 17. 
knit-knott, . An ornament of dress. Xarex. 
Not to spend their time in knit-ktuits, patch-work, flne 
twilights, and such fooleries. 
The Country Farmers Catechism (1703> 
knitstert (nit'sttr), H. [< knit + -*ter.] One 
who knits; a knitter. 
My two Troilus's transfonn'd to knitsters. 
Jasper Mayne, Amorous Warre (1648). 
knittable (uit'a-bl), a. [< knit + -able.'] That 
may be knitted or knit. 
knitter (nit'er), B. 1. One who knits. 
The spinsters and the knitters In the sun, 
And the free maids that weave their thread with bones, 
Do use to chant it. Shak., T. N., li 4, 45. 
2. A knitting-machine. 
knitting (nit'ing), M. [Verbal n. of knit, r.] 
1. The act of tying or fastening in a knot, or 
of winding about and about; entanglement. 
The elephant, knowing well enough he l> not able to 
withstand his windings and knittings about him, seeketh 
to come close to some trees or hard rockea, and so for to 
crush and squise the dragon between him and them. 
Holland, tr. of I'll nj, viii. 10. 
2. The act of weaving by looping or knotting a 
continuous thread. 3. Work done by a knit- 
ter; knitting-work. 
The same dear aunt, with her knitting in hand as of old. 
'. M. Baker, New Timothy, p. 17. 
Double knitting, knitting by a peculiar stitch which 
produces a double instead of a single web, used for parts 
requiring extra strength, as the heels of stockings, or with 
the view of securing greater warmth. 
knitting-case (nit'ing-kas), n. Same as knit- 
She paused to take the end of one needle out of the quill 
of her knittiny-case and put another in. 
K. Eggletton, The Qraysons, xxx. 
knitting-cupt (uit'iug-kup), . A cup of wine 
or other liquor handed round after a couple 
were knit in the bonds of matrimony. 
Mind 
The parson's pint, to engage him [In] the busineu ; 
A kntttinj cap there must be. 
B. ,/uiuun, Magnetic)! Lady, IT. 1. 
