Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Tied or snarled in knots.
- adjective Covered with knots or knobs; gnarled.
- adjective Difficult to understand or solve.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Full of knots; having many knots.
- Hard; rugged.
- Difficult; intricate; perplexing; involved.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Full of knots; knotted; having many knots
- adjective rare Hard; rugged.
- adjective Difficult; intricate; perplexed.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Full of
knots . - adjective
Complicated ortricky ;complex ;difficult .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots
- adjective making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
- adjective tangled in knots or snarls
- adjective highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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M. de Nointel, after settling certain knotty points in the
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In the construction of this little word "equipping," taken with its context, is the point, apparently so knotty, which is to be determined.
The Alexandra 1863
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A humorist of the present day has suggested that the knots on the staff indicate the numerous "knotty" questions which a doctor is asked to solve!
Outlines of Greek and Roman Medicine James Sands Elliott
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He seemed awful old and kind of knotty and twisty.
Mitch Miller Edgar Lee Masters 1909
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Nor did I escape, since having somehow or other established a reputation for wisdom, as soon as I had mastered sufficient of the language, every kind of knotty case was laid before me for decision.
When the World Shook; being an account of the great adventure of Bastin, Bickley and Arbuthnot Henry Rider Haggard 1890
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I tried to do it, but found it a "knotty" subject, and, like the texts Eachard speaks of,
Salem Witchcraft and Cotton Mather A Reply Charles Wentworth Upham 1838
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Its mix includes “born again” or vintage cowboy boots — “half the retail price and half the work to break them in”; ranch home decor, such as knotty pine log beds; “saloon girl” lingerie; exclusive designs, such as tank tops with “Honky” on the front and “Tonk” on the back; Pocahontas and Indian chief prints; and novelty gifts that baby boomers played with as children, such as candy cigarettes and badges.
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He said biomass is a relatively cheap energy source because it uses non-commercial wood, such as knotty trees, tree stumps and branches, to fuel power plants.
CTV News RSS Feed 2009
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You describe the abortion issue as a "knotty" question.
ABP News 2009
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They are still wrestling with how to do it—particularly with the knotty question of how to share the burden with private creditors.
EU Links Greece Aid to Budget Cuts Riva Froymovich 2011
milosrdenstvi commented on the word knotty
Distinguished by being the last 6-letter alphaliteral in alphabetical order.
February 6, 2010