What does knar mean?
Knar is an uncommon English noun for a hard knot or knotted protuberance in wood. It has a close visual and etymological relationship with gnarl and knarl, but whereas those words now often function as verbs describing twisting or rugged growth, knar is primarily the object: the swollen knot one might encounter in a branch, plank, or trunk. The word can lend a vivid, woody quality to descriptions of timber, trees, and landscapes, especially when the sense is deliberately old-fashioned or poetic. Dictionaries also record an archaic verb meaning to knot or twist. Modern usage is rare enough that knar may sound marked, but it is useful when a writer wants to name the woody knot itself rather than simply say knot. Its Germanic ancestry and association with gnarl make it an especially fitting word for discussions of rough, knotted natural forms.
A hard knot or knotty protuberance in wood.
"A polished surface still revealed an occasional knar in the grain."
Uncommon and chiefly literary or archaic in modern English.
To knot or twist.
"The hemp knarred into a rough cord."
Obsolete or strongly archaic.
The regular plural is uncommon, reflecting the rarity of the noun.
"The beam was marred by several knars."
A knar is the tree's tough knot—and its close cousin, gnarl, grew into a verb.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does knar come from?
The word appears in Middle English as knarre and continues Old English cnear, meaning a knot or hard lump. It is Germanic in origin and has relatives such as Old Norse knarr, “knot, lump,” and Old Frisian knarre, “hard thing.” The modern spelling is closely associated with the knarl and gnar family of words for knots and twisted forms.
Related word forms
How knar is actually used
Rare in modern English and chiefly literary or archaic. The noun remains the more recognizable form, while the verb is obsolete or strongly marked.
Easily confused with knar
Knar is primarily a noun for a knot in wood, whereas gnarl is now mainly a verb meaning to twist or become twisted, though it has also historically served as a noun.