Knobby
/ˈnɒb.i/noun
Having rounded lumps or bumps; protruding in small rounded knobs.
Did you know?Knobby is built on the old English word *knob*, which likely began as a lump or swelling idea long before it described a bumpy surface.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gneubh-
“to swell, protrude, or form a lump”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*knub-
“a lump, knob, or swelling”
Old English
English
cnoppa
“a lump, knob, or rounded swelling”
Middle English
English
knobbe
“a rounded lump or protuberance”
16th Century
English
knobby
“full of knobs; rough with rounded projections”
Modern English
English
knobby
“having many knobs or bumps”