Knap
Pronunciation
- IPA: /næp/
- Rhymes: -æp
- Homophones: nap
Origin 1
From Middle English knappen, an onomatopeia
Full definition of knap
Verb
- (transitive) To shape a vitreous mineral (flint, obsidian, chert etc.) by breaking away flakes, often forming a sharp edge or point.
- (transitive) To rap or strike sharply.
- 1820, The Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, volume 8, no.43, page 81, October 1820.Some entered the ring in very bad condition, and immediately got a-piping, like hot mutton pies - fell on their own blows, and knapped it every round, till they shewed the white feather and bolted.
- 1977, Marilynne K. Roach, Encounters with the Invisible World, page 10, ISBN 0690012772."That will be sixpence," he said without looking up. She knapped her lips together and turned on her heel without another word.
- (obsolete, UK, dialect) To bite; to bite off; to break short.
- Dr. H. More:He will knap the spears apieces with his teeth.
- Psalms xlvi. 9 (Book of Common Prayer):He breaketh the bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder.
- 1821, John Clare, "The Village Minstrel":"Horses..turn'd to knap each other at their ease."
- To make a sound of snapping.
Usage notes
(to shape a vitreous mineral) In modern usage knap is restricted to the specific technique of percussion flaking whereby flakes are removed across an entire face or facet leaving a conchoidal fracture. It is distinguished from the more general verb chip and is different from "carve" (removing only part of a face), and "cleave" (breaking along a natural plane). The term is used in archaeology for the production of flaked stone tools and in gunsmithing for the production of gunflints. Knap is rarely used in stonemasonry except to denote fine chipping done with smaller hammers but without the chisel.
Synonyms
- (break flakes from a mineral) chip