knot¹ / nät/ • n. 1. a fastening made by tying a piece of string, rope, or something similar. ∎  a particular method of tying a knot: you need to master two knots, the clove hitch and the sheet bend. ∎  a tangled mass in something such as hair. ∎  a complex and intractable problem: a complicated knot of racial politics and pride. ∎  a tied or folded ribbon, worn as an ornament. 2. a knob, protuberance, or node in a stem, branch, or root. ∎  a hard mass formed in a tree trunk at the intersection with a branch, resulting in a round cross-grained piece in timber when cut through. ∎  a hard lump of tissue in an animal or human body. ∎  a tense constricted feeling in the body: the knot of tension at the back of her neck. ∎  a small tightly packed group of people: the little knot of people clustered around the doorway. 3. a unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, used esp. of ships, aircraft, and winds.• v. (knot·ted , knot·ting ) [tr.] 1. fasten with a knot: the scarves were knotted loosely around their throats. ∎  make (a carpet or other decorative item) with knots. ∎  make (something, esp. hair) tangled. 2. cause (a muscle) to become tense and hard. ∎  [intr.] (of the stomach) tighten as a result of nervousness or tension.PHRASES: tie the knot inf. get married.DERIVATIVES: knot·less adj.knot·ter n.knot² • n. (pl. same or knots ) a small, relatively short-billed sandpiper (genus Calidris) with a reddish-brown or blackish breast in the breeding season. Two species include the red knot (C. canutus), which breeds in the Arctic and winters in the southern hemisphere.