knead

B1 Topic:Cooking & Baking

US /niːd/ UK /niːd/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to press and fold dough in order to make it smooth and elastic

Knead the dough for 10 minutes before baking.
2

verb
to massage or rub something firmly, often to relieve tension or pain

Knead the sore muscles to relax them.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to press and fold dough in... work mix fold press massage

2 verb · to massage or rub something... massage rub manipulate press work

More mold squeeze

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

knead dough
to press and fold a flour mixture until its texture becomes smooth and elastic

Verb + noun

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *gnē- ("to press, squeeze"), via Proto-Germanic *knē-, Old English cnēan and Middle English kneaden (14th c.) into Modern English knead ("to mix and press dough").

Topics

Cooking & Baking Actions & Processes

External links

# knead

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /niːd/
**IPA (UK):** /niːd/

## Meanings
1. to press and fold dough in order to make it smooth and elastic
2. to massage or rub something firmly, often to relieve tension or pain

## Examples
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes before baking.
- Knead the sore muscles to relax them.

## Synonyms
- work
- mix
- fold
- press
- massage
- rub
- manipulate
- mold
- squeeze

## Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *gnē- ("to press, squeeze"), via Proto-Germanic *knē-, Old English cnēan and Middle English kneaden (14th c.) into Modern English knead ("to mix and press dough").

## AI Etymology
Knead comes from Proto-Indo-European *gnē- ("to press, squeeze"), via Proto-Germanic *knē-, Old English cnēan and Middle English kneaden (14th c.) into Modern English knead ("to mix and press dough"). In current use it is a verb meaning "to press and fold dough in order to make it smooth and elastic". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Cooking & Baking
- Actions & Processes

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