Unknown, but probably a sound-symbolic/expressive word. Compare Low German knuffeln, knüffeln, an iterative form of Low German knuffen (“to poke; bump; nudge”), West Frisian knoffelje (“to push; knock; bump”).
knuffelen
| Conjugation of knuffelen (weak) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | knuffelen | |||
| past singular | knuffelde | |||
| past participle | geknuffeld | |||
| infinitive | knuffelen | |||
| gerund | knuffelen n | |||
| present tense | past tense | |||
| 1st person singular | knuffel | knuffelde | ||
| 2nd person sing. (jij) | knuffelt, knuffel2 | knuffelde | ||
| 2nd person sing. (u) | knuffelt | knuffelde | ||
| 2nd person sing. (gij) | knuffelt | knuffelde | ||
| 3rd person singular | knuffelt | knuffelde | ||
| plural | knuffelen | knuffelden | ||
| subjunctive sing.1 | knuffele | knuffelde | ||
| subjunctive plur.1 | knuffelen | knuffelden | ||
| imperative sing. | knuffel | |||
| imperative plur.1 | knuffelt | |||
| participles | knuffelend | geknuffeld | ||
| 1) Archaic. 2) In case of inversion. | ||||