ned-
“to bind, to knot (a net)”net/bind
PIE root meaning to bind or knot into a net. Source of English "net," Latin nodus, and words for binding and knotting.
Discussion
*ned- is a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to bind" or "to knot," especially in the context of making nets and rope.
The root gives Latin nodus "knot" (whence English node, nodule, noose, denouement) and Old English nett "net" (modern English net). German Netz, Dutch net, and Old Norse net confirm the Germanic pattern. The nominal form *ned-yo- or *ned-ti- likely gave the word for the net itself.
In other branches, Sanskrit nahyati "binds, ties" and naddha- "bound" preserve the root with an aspirated development. Lithuanian nesti is related through Balto-Slavic reflexes of binding vocabulary.
The semantic field centers on the technology of knotting and net-making—a crucial subsistence skill for fishing and trapping in the PIE economy. The root connects to a broader vocabulary of binding that includes *bʰendʰ- "to bind" and *yew- "to join."
Modern descendants include English net, network, nettle (the plant that provides fiber for net-making), and through Latin: node, nodule, noose, and denouement (literally "unknotting").
Notes
Source of Latin "nodus" (knot), English "net". Zero-grade *n̥d-.