Definition of "knead" []

• To mix and work into a uniform mass, as by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands: kneading dough. (verb-transitive)
• To make or shape by or as if by folding, pressing, and stretching with the hands. (verb-transitive)
• To squeeze, press, or roll with the hands, as in massaging: kneading a painful calf muscle. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The word knead comes from an Indo-European root meaning “to compress into a ball”; related words are gnocchi, quenelle, knoll, and knuckle."
• "The word "knead" is a misnomer, however, as the action of folding and pushing biscuit dough is a far more delicate technique: Pull the dough over itself from the far side, making a double layer, and then, with the palm of your hand, push the dough forward with only the lightest pressure, to smear some of the small butter pieces in the dough."
• "Working on a cool, smooth surface, "knead" it a bit with a spatula until it has the thickness and texture of fudge."