An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/kneten

by Friedrich Kluge

kneten, vb., ‘to knead,’ from the equiv. MidHG. knëten, OHG. chnëtan; comp. MidLG. and Du. kneden, ‘to knead,’ AS. cnëdan, MidE. cneden, E. to knead; a Goth. *knidan, or rather *knudan (comp. treten), ‘to knead,’ may be assumed; Scand. has only a wk. knoða, pointing to Goth. *knudan. Since HG. t, LG., E., and Goth. d may have originated in t owing to earlier positions of the accents (comp. Vater, AS. fœder, with Lat. pater, Gr. πατήρ), gnet may be regarded as the pre-Teut. root. Comp. OSlov. gnetą, gmesti, ‘to crush, knead.’