Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To mix and work into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands.
  • transitive verb To make or shape by or as if by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands.
  • transitive verb To squeeze, press, or roll with the hands, as in massaging.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To manipulate by squeezing, pressing, or thumping different parts of; work upon by successive thumps or compressions: as, to knead a person's limbs in the operation of massage.
  • Specifically To work upon, as plastic materials, by repeatedly pressing or squeezing; prepare or mix by working over and over with the hands or by tools or machinery, as dough for bread or clay for bricks.
  • Hence To mix thoroughly; incorporate; form into a homogeneous compound.
  • To make by kneading.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; esp., to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a well mixed mass, as the materials of bread, cake, etc..
  • transitive verb Fig.: To treat or form as by kneading; to beat.
  • transitive verb To press repeatedly with the hands or knuckles, sometimes with a twisting or squeezing motion; -- performed for example on the body of a person as a form of massage.
  • transitive verb a trough or tray in which dough is kneaded.
  • intransitive verb To perform movements like kneading, with the paws; -- said of cats, which may knead{3} a master's body when stroked, presumably a sign of contentment.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To work and press into a mass, usually with the hands; especially, to work, as by repeated pressure with the knuckles, into a well mixed mass, the materials of bread, cake, etc.
  • verb transitive, figuratively To treat or form as if by kneading; to beat.
  • verb intransitive, of cats To make an alternating pressing motion with the two front paws.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make uniform
  • verb manually manipulate (someone's body), usually for medicinal or relaxation purposes

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English kneden, from Old English cnedan.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English kneden, from Old English cnedan, from Proto-Germanic *knedanan, from Proto-Indo-European *gnet- ‘to press together’ (cf. Old Prussian gnode ‘kneading trough’, Albanian ngjesh, Slovenian gnésti ‘to knead, press’), from *gen- ‘to ball up, pinch, compress’.

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Examples

  • The word knead comes from an Indo-European root meaning “to compress into a ball”; related words are gnocchi, quenelle, knoll, and knuckle.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • The word knead comes from an Indo-European root meaning “to compress into a ball”; related words are gnocchi, quenelle, knoll, and knuckle.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • The word "knead" is a misnomer, however, as the action of folding and pushing biscuit dough is a far more delicate technique: Pull the dough over itself from the far side, making a double layer, and then, with the palm of your hand, push the dough forward with only the lightest pressure, to smear some of the small butter pieces in the dough.

    Archive 2009-09-01 VelezDelights 2009

  • The word "knead" is a misnomer, however, as the action of folding and pushing biscuit dough is a far more delicate technique: Pull the dough over itself from the far side, making a double layer, and then, with the palm of your hand, push the dough forward with only the lightest pressure, to smear some of the small butter pieces in the dough.

    Buttermilk Biscuits | Vélez Delights VelezDelights 2009

  • Working on a cool, smooth surface, "knead" it a bit with a spatula until it has the thickness and texture of fudge.

    Sweet treats from Mexico: Los dulces 2006

  • Working on a cool, smooth surface, "knead" it a bit with a spatula until it has the thickness and texture of fudge.

    Sweet treats from Mexico: Los dulces 2006

  • Working on a cool, smooth surface, "knead" it a bit with a spatula until it has the thickness and texture of fudge.

    Sweet treats from Mexico: Los dulces 2006

  • Neri Ame, lit. "liquid candy" that you apply to the included chopsticks then "knead" it until it turns solid.

    Anime Nano! 2010

  • Although, if you feel the "knead" for a work out, you could certainly prepare the dough by hand.

    Culinary in the Desert 2008

  • Its PIE root is *mag-, meaning not only “to make” but also “to knead” or “to mix.”

    The English Is Coming! Leslie Dunton-Downer 2010

Comments

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  • JM reckons bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.

    May 25, 2011