Meaning & use
knotwork
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Meanings
noununcountable
Decoration made of lines or cords that loop and cross over each other like knots, found in art, carving and jewelry.
Grammar: No plural in normal use: the knotwork is beautiful, not the knotworks.
Patterns
- knotwork on something
- a design of knotwork
The manuscript's borders were filled with intricate knotwork.
A band of carved knotwork ran around the stone cross.
She tattooed a simple knotwork pattern on her wrist.
noununcountable
The craft of tying decorative knots, or an item made by tying many knots, such as macrame or sailors' rope decoration.
Grammar: Often used for craft work: She teaches knotwork.
Patterns
- do knotwork
He learned knotwork from an old sailor who made rope mats.
The bag's handle had neat knotwork along its length.
Common combinations
- Celtic knotwork
- The brooch was covered in Celtic knotwork.
- intricate knotwork
- The door frame had intricate knotwork carved into it.
- carved knotwork
- Carved knotwork decorated the church's pillars.
- decorative knotwork
- The sailor's belt had decorative knotwork at the buckle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interlace
- Interlace is the more technical art-history term for woven patterns, while knotwork sounds more everyday and often suggests a closed loop design.
- macrame
- Macrame is a craft of knotting cord into hangings, whereas knotwork can also be a carved or drawn pattern.
Word family
Commonly confused: knotwork or needlework?
knotwork vs needlework
Needlework is sewing and embroidery with a needle, while knotwork is based on knots or knot-like patterns.
Practice
Which phrase best uses 'knotwork'?
Choose one answer.
Knotwork is a decorative pattern or craft, so a decorated bracelet fits. The others use it with the wrong meaning or as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “knotwork”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.