Knubble

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A small rounded lump or knob projecting from the surface of something
2. A little protuberance or bump standing out from an object or body part
3. Any small knobby swelling that rises slightly above the surrounding surface

Etymology: "Knubble" is a dialect word, found mainly in Scots and northern English, for a small knob or lump, especially one on a surface or a bodily protrusion. Its surprising quality is how little it has moved from its physical sense. It has never needed to become abstract, because the lump is the whole meaning. It belongs to a family of words built on "knub" and "knob," which share the same basic idea of a rounded bump. The "-le" ending is a diminutive, the same one found in "dimple" and "speckle," so the word is essentially a small version of a knub. The "knob" group is likely related to Middle Low German or Dutch words for a knot or swelling, but the exact early history of the root is uncertain, and I would not press a precise origin beyond that.