>Knecht ´´< OHG kneht "Knabe, Jüngling, Bursche; Kerl; Junggeselle;
>Diener, Knappe, Edelknabe; Krieger, Soldat, Held; Lehrling,
>Geselle";
>
>engl. knight "Ritter" < westgermanisch knehta- "Knabe, Jüngling"
Curious semantic divergent evolutions in German and in English:
the initial "boy" becomes a serf & servant in German (up to day:
a _Knecht_ is the subordinate agrar worker for a Bauer "a landed
farmer (owner!)"; the Knecht's female counterpart is _die Magd_.).
But in English, the initial "boy" becomes a _knight_, i.e. an
(aristocratic) member of the "upper class". The German Knecht
isn't even a "free peasant".
(Cf. "servant boy" OE cnafa > knave "deceitful person, tricky")
George