The French word for the knot (1.852 km/h), the traditional unit of velocity at sea. This unit is still used officially in France; for example, Météo France uses it in maritime weather forecasts
Russ Rowlett (Director), How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement, Center for Mathematics and Science Education University of North Carolina, USA 2005. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictA.html, (Unit of Meas and Covr Factors - Amer) {608}