Adjacent Words

Knack definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

KNACK, n. nak. A little machine; a petty contrivance; a toy.
A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap.
1. A readiness; habitual facility of performance; dexterity; adroitness.
My author has a great knack at remarks.
The Dean was famous in his time,
And had a kind of knack at rhyme.
2. A nice trick.
For how should equal colors do the knack?
Cameleons who can paint in white and black?
KNACK, v.i. nak. To crack; to make a sharp abrupt noise. [Little used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a special way of doing something; "he had a bent for it"; "he had a special knack for getting into trouble"; "he couldn't get the hang of it" [syn: bent, knack, hang]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English knak Date: 14th century 1. a. a clever trick or stratagem b. a clever way of doing something 2. a special ready capacity that is hard to analyze or teach 3. archaic an ingenious device; broadly toy, knickknack Synonyms: see gift

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an acquired or intuitive faculty of doing a thing adroitly. 2 a trick or habit of action or speech etc. (has a knack of offending people). 3 archaic an ingenious device (see KNICK-KNACK). Etymology: ME, prob. identical with knack sharp blow or sound f. LG, ult. imit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Knack Knack, v. i. [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. G. knacken to break, Dan. knage to crack, and E. knock.] 1. To crack; to make a sharp, abrupt noise to chink. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] --Bp. Hall. 2. To speak affectedly. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Knack Knack, n. 1. A petty contrivance; a toy; a plaything; a knickknack. A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap. --Shak. 2. A readiness in performance; aptness at doing something; skill; facility; dexterity. The fellow . . . has not the knack with his shears. --B. Jonson. The dean was famous in his time, And had a kind of knack at rhyme. --Swift. 3. Something performed, or to be done, requiring aptness and dexterity; a trick; a device. ``The knacks of japers.'' --Chaucer. For how should equal colors do the knack ! --Pope.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(knacks) A knack is a particularly clever or skilful way of doing something successfully, especially something which most people find difficult. He's got the knack of getting people to listen. N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of/for n/-ing

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Toy, plaything, knick-knack, gimcrack, gewgaw, bawble, trifle, jiggumbob (comic). 2. Dexterity, adroitness, dextrousness, skill, skilfulness, facility, aptness, aptitude, quickness, readiness, address, expertness.

Moby Thesaurus

ability, adroitness, aptitude, aptness, art, bauble, bent, bibelot, bric-a-brac, capacity, command, dexterity, expertise, expertism, expertness, facility, feel, flair, fribble, gaud, genius, gewgaw, gift, gimcrack, hang, head, intuition, kickshaw, knickknack, know-how, mastership, mastery, nose, proficiency, quickness, readiness, set, skill, swing, talent, touch, toy, trick, trinket, turn, way, whim-wham