knot
knot [knot knots knotted knotting] noun, verb BrE [nɒt] NAmE [nɑːt]
noun 
IN STRING/ROPE
1. a join made by tying together two pieces or ends of string, rope, etc
•to tie a knot
• Tie the two ropes together with a knot.
• (figurative)hair full of knots and tangles (= twisted in a way that is difficult to ↑comb )
• Sailors had to know lots of different knots.
OF HAIR
2. a way of twisting hair into a small round shape at the back of the head
•She had her hair in a knot.
IN WOOD
3. a hard round spot in a piece of wood where there was once a branch
GROUP OF PEOPLE
4. a small group of people standing close together
•Little knots of people had gathered at the entrance.
OF MUSCLES
5. a tight, hard feeling in the stomach, throat, etc. caused by nerves, anger, etc
•My stomach was in knots.
•I could feel a knot of fear in my throat.
SPEED OF BOAT/PLANE
6. a unit for measuring the speed of boats and aircraft; one ↑nautical mile per hour
see at a rate of knots at ↑rate n., tie the knottie sb/yourself (up) in knots at ↑tie v.
Word Origin:
Old English cnotta, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch knot.
Example Bank:
•Tie a knot in the rope.
•a tangled knot of arms and legs
Idiom: ↑get knotted
verb (-tt-)
TIE WITH KNOT
1. transitive ~ sth to fasten sth with a knot or knots
•He carefully knotted his tie.
•She wore a scarf loosely knotted around her neck.
TWIST
2. intransitive to become twisted into a knot
Syn: ↑tangle
3. transitive ~ sth to twist hair into a particular shape
•She wore her hair loosely knotted on top of her head.
MUSCLES
4. intransitive, transitive ~ (sth) if muscles, etc. knot or sth knots them, they become hard and painful because of fear, excitement, etc
•She felt her stomach knot with fear.
Verb forms: 
Word Origin:
Old English cnotta, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch knot.
Example Bank:
•I knotted the ropes together securely.
•She knotted the scarf loosely around her neck.
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