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Definition: Knife |
KnifeNoun1. Edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle. 2. A weapon with a handle and blade with a sharp point. 3. Any long thin projection that is transient; "tongues of flame licked at the walls"; "rifles exploded quick knives of fire into the dark". Verb1. Use a knife on; "The victim was knifed to death". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "knife" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Bible | Knife (1.) Heb. hereb, "the waster," a sharp instrument for circumcision (Josh. 5:2, 3, lit. "knives of flint;" comp. Ex. 4:25); a razor (Ezek. 5:1); a graving tool (Ex. 20:25); an axe (Ezek. 26:9). (2.) Heb. maakeleth, a large knife for slaughtering and cutting up food (Gen. 22:6, 10; Prov. 30:14). (3.) Heb. sakkin, a knife for any purpose, a table knife (Prov. 23:2). (4.) Heb. mahalaph, a butcher's knife for slaughtering the victims offered in sacrifice (Ezra 1:9). (5.) Smaller knives (Heb. ta'ar, Jer. 36:26) were used for sharpening pens. The pruning-knives mentioned in Isa. 18:5 (Heb. mizmaroth) were probably curved knives. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary. |
Dream Interpretation | To dream of a knife is bad for the dreamer, as it portends separation and quarrels, and losses in affairs of a business character. To see rusty knives, means dissatisfaction, and complaints of those in the home, and separation of lovers. Sharp knives and highly polished, denotes worry. Foes are ever surrounding you. Broken knives, denotes defeat whatever the pursuit, whether in love or business. To dream that you are wounded with a knife, foretells domestic troubles, in which disobedient children will figure largely. To the unmarried, it denotes that disgrace may follow. To dream that you stab another with a knife, denotes baseness of character, and you should strive to cultivate a higher sense of right. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Literature | Knife is the emblem borne by St. Agatha, St. Albert, and St. Christina. The flaying knife is the emblem of St. Bartholomew, because he was flayed. A sacrificing knife is borne in Christian art by St. Zadkiel, the angel. The knife of academic knots. Chrysippos, so called because he was the keenest disputant of his age (B.C. 280-207). War to the knife. Deadly strife. Knife = sword or dagger. "Till my keen knife see not the wound it makes." Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 5. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Mechanical Engineering | In chain saws, that part of the(cutter)link that does the actual cutting. Source: European Union. (references) |
| In hand plates, the chisel that does the cutting. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A dagger is essentially a special form of knife, where the tang is placed along the center line of the blade.A dagger is more a weapon made for thrusting than a tool for slicing and cutting. Historically daggers were important secondary weapons in Europe during the Middle Ages and the renaissance.
Often a dagger is fairly long, and some may verge on being of sword length. Most daggers are double edged, although there are exceptions.
A modern version of the dagger is the bayonet, which becomes a spear type weapon when mounted on the barrel of a rifle.
See also: dagger (typography)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Dagger."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A knife is a sharp object used for cutting things, based on the simple machine concept of a wedge. The most common design for a knife is that of a sharp metal blade attached to a handle by means of a tang. Knives have been used as weapons and tools since the stone age, and various developments include the sword and the machete.
traditional Norse knife (photo Uwe Kils)Together with the fork and spoon it is a very common eating utensil. According to etiquette it is held in the right hand, and the fork in the left.
A knife is such a basic tool that it is helpful in almost any environment.
Knives were among the first tools used by man in the Stone age, originally consisting of a single piece of sharpened flint.
Using knives
Keep the knife clean, dry and sharp. If the blade can rust, oiling it will help it stay sharp.
Never use a knife to pry or as a screwdriver. A piece is likely to break off the blade.
In the woods, use the knife as a tool to make tools, rather than as the only tool. For example, rather than using it as a skewer, use it to cut skewers from a nontoxic wood.
To cut thick wood, chopping with a knife is almost always faster than using a saw on the back of the knife.
Sharpening
The trick is to control the angle between the stone and knife. It should be constant. A tool is very helpful. Very sharp knives sharpen at 12 degrees. Typical knives sharpen at 22 degrees. Knives that chop may sharpen at 25 degrees. In short, the harder the material to be cut the larger the angle of the edge.
Remove a wire edge if one forms during sharpening. Use 30 degrees to do so. If not removed, it will break off in use, and the knive will instantly become dull.
The best sharpening stones are industrial diamonds embedded in plastic. These are more expensive, but affordable. They cut about twice as fast as other stones.
Knives to carry
Many authorities recommend carrying a lockback knife, about 4" (10cm) long. It should be one which can be opened with one hand. The main use is a tool, not a weapon.
One authority recommends, for wilderness use, carrying a large knife like a machete or kukri, for chopping wood, serious fighting and heavy camp chores, a 6" knife for dressing animals and use as a spear-head, and to back-up the fighting knife, a lock-back folder for light tasks, and Swiss Army knife for all the little tools.
The best place to carry a large knife is in the back waistband, or under a skirt strapped to the thigh. A sheath for the back waistband can be held in place with a small button that keeps it above the waistband. Tactical nylon is stronger, and more water resistant than leather.
Carrying of knives in public is forbidden by law in many countries. Exceptions may be made for hunting knives, and for knives used for work-related purposes (eg.chef's knives). Knives are forbidden on aeroplanes and are among the illegal imports that may be confiscated at airports by customs staff.
A normal (1) blade has a curving edge, and flat back. A dull back lets one use fingers to concentrate force, and makes the knife heavier and stronger for its size. The curve concentrates force, making cutting easier. Therefore, it can chop as well as pick and slice. The single edge is also less expensive to produce than a double edge.
A curved or trailing-point (2) knife has a back edge that curves upward. This lets a lightweight knife have a larger curve on its edge. Such a knife is better for slicing than a normal knife.
A spey (3) blade has two curved edges. The idea is to make a blade that slices in either direction, with a strong sharp point. This is the strongest traditional style of knife. It's used for fighting knives (dagger, switchblades, etc.) because it can cut both directions, has a point and is strong. Many persons believe that the best all-around blade is an asymmetric spey, with the larger curve on the lower side. This is called a dropped spey.
A clipped (4) blade is like a normal blade with a clip off the tip to make the tip thinner and sharper. The back edge of the clip can have a "cut swedge" that can be sharpened to make second edge. The sharp tip makes the blade exceptional as a pick, or for cutting in tight places. If the clip is sharpened, this is an attempt to make a working knife double as a fighting knife. This is another favorite knife shape, although it is not as strong as a spey. The Bowie is an attempt to make a clipped blade that's good for fighting, and as strong as a spey.
A sheepsfoot (5) knife has a straight edge, and a curved dull back. It give the most control, because the back, dull edge is made to be held by fingers. It's good for whittling, including sheep's hooves.
A tanto (6) knife is thick, almost a bar. The edge is straight. The point is actually a second edge on the end of the blade, swept back from the point at 80-60 degrees.
An ulu knife is a sharpened half-circle. It's all edge, with no point, and a handle in the middle. It's good for scraping, and sometimes chopping. It is the strongest knife-shape.
Types of knives
Solid tang knives are the strongest and simplest type.
A lockback knife is a folding knife with a lock. One should be able to open it with one hand, using a stud or fingerhole to get leverage. If one must carry just one knife, many authorities agree that this is the one.
A hunting knife is normally used to dress large game. It is often a normal, mild curve or a curved and clipped blade.
A trapper's knife is made to kill and dress small animals, and help with simple machinery. It's a small folding knife with three blades: a clip, a spey and a normal. It is one of the most popular folding knives ever made.
A pocket knife is a folding knife, without locks. Some brands, such as Victorinox, have a wide variety or tools available.
A classic lady's knife is a small curved knife that folds into a handle and then resembles a silver leaf.
Pure fighting knives are always speys, so that either edge can cut. Modern fighting knives have large curves, to concentrate the force to permit slicing. Classic fighting knives have straight edges and a very strong point.
A machete is a large normal blade, used to chop through brush. Interestingly, some experts are now arguing that a long, very sharp blade is superior to a traditional heavy machete for cutting brush.
A kukri is a fighting knife with a deep forward curve. In use, it swings into a person. The kukri is also good for chopping. Some shapes actually chop better than a hatchet, because they balance better.
A survival knife is a sturdy knife, sometimes with a hollow handle filled with equipment. In the best hollow-handled knives, both blade and handle are cut from a single piece of steel. The end has an O-ring seal to keep water out of the handle. Often a small compass is set in the inside, protected part of the pommel/cap. The pommel may be adapted to pounding or chipping. Recommended fillings for the handle: a compass (usually in the pommel). Monofilament (for snares, fishing), 12 feet of black nylon thread and two needles, a couple of plastic ties, two barbed and one unbarbed fishhook (unbarbed doubles as a suture needle), butterfly bandages, halizone tablets, waterproof matches.
Knife modifications
Most knives need a fatter handle to fit most people's hands. The handle should get a hole, if it doesn't have one. The handle can have a couple notches to make it easier-to use plastic ties to mount it on a spear.
The tang should be covered on the handle, so that it cannot burn, freeze or electrocute the knife's user.
The pommel might be modified to be sturdy enough to pound or chip. One can drive a large machine screw in. The sheath should permit one to hold the blade for pounding and chipping.
One side of the blood groove or blade could be polished to make a signal mirror. If this is done, drill a small hole to act as the aiming hole. One aims a signal mirror by looking through the hole, and moving the reflection of the beam through the hole over the target seen through the hole.
A knife with simple surveying instruments is more useful. One standard system puts a sighting hole in the upper quillion to aim over the point. A weighted string draped on a notch is the indicator. A sundial and half-circle degree protractor is marked on the right side of the knife. In the afternoon, sighting the sun, the sundial should show the hours to darkness. On the left side, put two trig scales. Sighting up gives a sine scale, in percent of the distance, to measure height. Sighting down gives a tangent scale, in percent of the distance, to measure the observer's height. A main use of these is for navigation. Another is to estimate rope use, and climbing effort.
Books:
The Knife Bible by Don Paul
Knives designed for specific purposes exist in large numbers. Some examples include butchering, hunting, curing, fishing, woodcarving, cooking and combat.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Knife."
Synonyms: KnifeSynonyms: tongue (n), stab (v). (additional references) |
| Synonym by domain: iron-on (mechanical engineering). |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Arms | Sword, saber, broadsword, cutlass, falchion, scimitar, cimeter, brand, whinyard, bilbo, glaive, glave, rapier, skean, Toledo, Ferrara, tuck, claymore, adaga, baselard, Lochaber ax, skean dhu, creese, kris, dagger, dirk, banger, poniard, stiletto, stylet, dudgeon, bayonet; sword-bayonet, sword-stick; side arms, foil, blade, steel; ax, bill; pole-ax, battle-ax; gisarme, halberd, partisan, tomahawk, bowie knife; ataghan, attaghan, yataghan; yatacban; assagai, assegai; good sword, trusty sword, naked sword; cold steel. |
Desire | Be hungry; play a good knife and fork; hunger after, thirst after, crave after, lust after, itch after, hanker after, run mad after; raven for, die for; burn to. |
Food | Live on; feed upon, batten upon, fatten upon, feast upon; browse, graze, crop, regale; carouse; (make merry); eat heartily, do justice to, play a good knife and fork, banquet. |
Gluttony | Have the stomach of an ostrich; play a good knife and fork;have the stomach of an ostrich; play a good knife and fork; (appetite). |
Preparation | Elaborate, mature, ripen, mellow, season, bring to maturity; nurture; (aid); hatch, cook, brew; temper, anneal, smelt; barbecue; infumate; maturate. equip, arm, man; fit-out, fit up; furnish, rig, dress, garnish, betrim, accouter, array, fettle, fledge; dress up, furbish up, brush up, vamp up; refurbish; sharpen one's tools, trim one's foils, set, prime, attune; whet the knife, whet the sword; wind up, screw up; adjust; (fit); put in trim, put in train, put in gear, put in working order, put in tune, put in a groove for, put in harness; pack. |
Sharpness | Wedge; knife edge, cutting edge; blade, edge tool, cutlery, knife, penknife, whittle, razor, razor blade, safety razor, straight razor, electric razor; scalpel; bistoury, lancet; plowshare, coulter, colter; hatchet, ax, pickax, mattock, pick, adze, gill; billhook, cleaver, cutter; scythe, sickle; scissors, shears, pruning shears, cutters, wire cutters, nail clipper, paper cutter; sword; (arms); bodkin; (perforator); belduque, bowie knife, paring knife; bushwhacker; drawing knife, drawing shave; microtome; chisel, screwdriver blade; flint blade; guillotine. |
Cutting; sharp edged, knife edged; sharp as a razor, keen as a razor; sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack; sharpened; Verb: set | |
Warfare | War to the death, war to the knife; guerre a mort, guerre a outrance; open war, internecine war, civil war. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Knife |
| English words defined with "knife": Balance knife, bolo knife, Bowie knife, bread knife, butcher knife, butter knife ♦ carving knife, case knife, Chopping knife, Clasp knife ♦ Dirk knife ♦ fish knife ♦ hunting knife ♦ knife blade, knife edge, Knife grass, knife thrust ♦ linoleum knife ♦ Palette knife, paring knife, pocket knife, pruning knife ♦ Scalping knife, sheath knife, Spalding knife, Spalting knife, steak knife, surgical knife ♦ table knife, trench knife ♦ Voiding knife. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "knife": bush knife ♦ CUTTER, HOT KNIFE ♦ FOXING CUTTER, HOT KNIFE ♦ Knife and Fork, knife changer, knife cutter, KNIFE GRINDER, KNIFE OPERATOR, KNIFE SETTER, KNIFE SETTER, GRINDER MACHINE ♦ riving knife ♦ splitting knife. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "knife": Smilodon. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Someone seems to have stuck a knife in my wallet (Octopussy; writing credit: George MacDonald Fraser) This is a knife. (Crocodile Dundee; writing credit: John Cornell; Paul Hogan) See you stretch the rules and you end up dead, I'll see you in the kitchen with a knife. (Scream; writing credit: Kevin Williamson) The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn (Léon; writing credit: Luc Besson) Here's how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send on of his to the morgue (The Untouchables; writing credit: Oscar Fraley; Eliot Ness) | |
Lyrics | It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife (Ironic; performing artist: Alanis Morissette) Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife (I Go To Extremes; performing artist: Billy Joel) But he was killed by a man with a switchblade knife (A Country Boy Can Survive (Y2K Verison); performing artist: Chad Brock) He do the song about the knife (Walk Of Life; performing artist: Dire Straits) I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart (#1 Crush; performing artist: Garbage) | |
Clever | Life lesson: Never lick a steak knife. (references; author: unknown) | |
Tongue Twisters | Give Mr. Snipa's wife's knife a swipe. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | A Knife for the Ladies (1974) Knife (1971) Scarlet Blade Silver Knife (1969) Quite an Ordinary Knife (1967) The Ivory Knife (1966) | |
Song Titles | Mack The Knife (performing artist: Louis Armstrong) Mack The Knife (performing artist: Wolfgang Neuss) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | (6) color slides show sticks of butter. (2) single sticks of butter unwrapped, (2) unwrapped stick of butter next to a butter knife, (2) a single pat of butter on a butter knife. Credit: Renee Comet (photographer). |  | (1) color slide shows a small, open, tub of soft Philadelphia brand cream cheese, with a knife in the cream cheese. Credit: Renee Comet (photographer). |
 | Looking southeast towards the Gulf of Exmouth and the Learmonth Observatory from the Charles Knife Road. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Articles of whale-boat gear. 1. Lantern keg containing matches, bread,&c. 2 Boat compass. 3. Water keg. 4. Piggin for bailing water 5. Waif for signaling. 6. Tub oar crotch. 7. Double oar-lock 8. Large line in line-tub. 9. Knife to cut line. 10 Row-lock. 11. Hatchet 12. Grapnel. 13. Drag or drug to retard whale. 14. Canvas nipper. Credit: National Marine Fisheries Historical Image Collection. |
 | Fig. 1. Blubber mincing knife. Fig. 2. Boarding knife. Fig. 3. Monkey-belt Fig. 4. Wooden toggle. Fig. 5. Chain-strap. Fig. 6. Throat-chain Fig. 7. Fin toggle. Fig. 8. Head-strap. Fig. 9. Blubber hook. Credit: National Marine Fisheries Historical Image Collection. |  | Sea cucumber being prepared for salad. Just kidding! The knife is for scale. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |
 | Figure 21. Silvertown Company sounder, a device very similar to the Belknap- Sigsbee sounder with one important difference. This sounder had a unique ballast release method which involved a knife cutting the line holding the ballast upon beginning of ascent. This device was used in cable laying surveys. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | Looking down John Day River to the east of Knife Mountain. Credit: Unknown. |
 | Medicine - Military - Equipment : Hospital knife encased in sheath. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | About 100 miles away from Hawaii, while en route to Oahu with other amphibious ships to participate in exercise "Dull Knife", July 1963. Three other attack transports are also in the formation. USS Renville (APA-227) is closest to Talladega, and USS Bayfield (APA-33) is next. Credit: NAVY. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Swiss knife" by M.Jander Commentary: "Close up." | "Swiss army knife 1" by Annette Gulick Commentary: "Our swiss army knife." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Bleenk; tinny; silverware; spoon; fork; knife; knives. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Charles Buxton | The rule in carving holds good as to criticism; never cut with a knife what you can cut with a spoon. |
Emily Dickinson | Surgeons must be very careful. When they take the knife!, underneath their fine incisions, stirs the Culprit -- Life! |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | Criticism should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and root-puller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | This done, he put the knife back into the drawer, and shut it. |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | Mr Dedalus threw his knife and fork noisily on his plate |
Grapes of Wrath | Steinbeck, John | Rose of Sharon sliced the potatoes into the frying pan and stirred them about with the knife point |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | My remedy was to cut them in pieces with my knife as they flew in the air, wherein my dexterity was much admired |
Walden | Thoreau, Henry David | At the present day, and in this country, as I find by my own experience, a few implements, a knife, an axe, a spade, a wheelbarrow, etc. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | A knife, called a microkeratome, is used to cut a flap in the cornea. (references) | |
Despite its name, the gamma knife does not require a surgical incision. (references) | ||
In RK, a very sharp knife is used to cut slits in the cornea changing its shape. (references) | ||
Children | India | On June 30, a Calcutta court fined a nun of the Missionaries of Charity $20 (1,000 Rs) for branding a 12-year-old girl with a hot knife in September 2000. The nun had branded the girl because she stole bread. (references) |
Civil Liberties | Ukraine | She sustained knife cuts to her hands and face after attempting to resist the attacker. (references) |
Saint Lucia | Thirteen persons were hospitalized for treatment of knife wounds and burns, including the priest. (references) | |
Human Rights | Bosnia and Herzegovina | On November 3, unknown assailants killed a Bosniak returnee in a knife attack near Prijedor. (references) |
Brazil | Puga suffered four knife cuts, burns, a broken nose, and the loss of five teeth and part of an ear. (references) | |
Albania | The police insisted that Gjonaj had committed suicide with a knife he possessed, which the police had not detected. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FORK, n. An instrument used chiefly for the purpose of putting dead animals into the mouth. Formerly the knife was employed for this purpose, and by many worthy persons is still thought to have many advantages over the other tool, which, however, they do not altogether reject, but use to assist in charging the knife. The immunity of these persons from swift and awful death is one of the most striking proofs of God's mercy to those that hate Him. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | To justify a general conclusion, requires many observations, even where the subject may be submitted to the anatomical knife, to optical classes, to analysis by fire, or by solvents. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Knife" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.89% of the time. "Knife" is used about 2,688 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.89% | 2,685 | 3,417 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 0.07% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 0.04% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 2,688 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes the usage of "knife" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified. |
| Name | Usage/Gender | Usage per 100 million Persons | Rank in USA |
| Knife | Last name | 130 | 62,795 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits. | |||
| Country | Name |
| Japan | Toyo Knife Co., Ltd. |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "knife": Balance knife ♦ be on a knife edge ♦ be under the knife ♦ blade of a knife ♦ blade of knife ♦ blade to a knife ♦ blow with a knife ♦ bolo knife ♦ bowie knife ♦ bread knife ♦ bush knife ♦ butcher knife ♦ butter knife ♦ carving knife ♦ case knife ♦ chopping knife ♦ clasp knife ♦ defective knife ♦ Dirk knife ♦ doctor knife ♦ Drawing knife ♦ electric knife ♦ fish knife ♦ Flake knife ♦ flick knife ♦ flint knife ♦ gamma knife ♦ get one's knife into smb. ♦ go under the knife ♦ grafting knife ♦ handle of a knife ♦ have one's knife into smb. ♦ Hay knife ♦ he yanked out his knife ♦ hunting knife ♦ jack knife ♦ kitchen knife ♦ knife and fork ♦ knife blade ♦ knife drawing ♦ knife edge ♦ knife edged ♦ knife fight ♦ Knife grass ♦ knife grinder ♦ knife handle ♦ knife marks ♦ Knife massage ♦ knife pleat ♦ knife sharpener ♦ Knife switch ♦ knife thrust ♦ knife tool ♦ knife wound ♦ linoleum knife ♦ moving the knife in ritual slaughter ♦ palette knife ♦ paper knife ♦ paring knife ♦ pen knife ♦ play a good knife and fork ♦ pocket knife ♦ pruning knife ♦ put a knife in smb.'s back ♦ put a knife into smb. ♦ putty knife ♦ race knife ♦ riving knife ♦ scalping knife ♦ serrated knife ♦ set of knife ♦ sheath knife ♦ sheathe knife ♦ slash with a knife ♦ spalding knife ♦ Spalting knife ♦ steak knife ♦ stick a knife into smth. ♦ stick of knife ♦ surgical knife ♦ swingling knife ♦ switchblade knife ♦ table knife ♦ the back of a knife ♦ trench knife ♦ voiding knife ♦ war to the knife ♦ watch like a knife. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "knife": knife-and-fork, knife-attack, knife-battle, knife-blade, knife-blades, knife-block, knife-board, knife-carrier, knife-carriers, knife-carrying, knife-cleaning, knife-creased, knife-cut, knife-edge, Knife-edge file, knife-edged, knife-edges, knife-faced, knife-fight, knife-fights, knife-fish, knife-grinder, knife-handle, knife-hunting, knife-juggling, knife-keen, knife-like, knife-love, knife-man, knife-our, knife-point, knife-points, knife-proof, knife-rack, knife-related, knife-rest, knife-shaped, knife-sharp, knife-sharpener, knife-sharpening, knife-swallower, knife-swinging, knife-throwing, knife-thrusts, knife-twist, knife-twisting, knife-wielder, knife-wielding, knife-work, knife-wrestler. | |
Ending with "knife": bread-knife, needle-knife, paper-knife. | |
Containing "knife": Dutch case-knife bean. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
knife | 5,172 | survival knife | 251 |
swiss army knife | 5,117 | knife sharpener | 242 |
hunting knife | 2,869 | smokey mountain knife works | 220 |
pocket knife | 924 | global knife | 213 |
buck knife | 757 | boker knife | 206 |
gerber knife | 649 | emerson knife | 193 |
case knife | 623 | german knife | 186 |
butterfly knife | 600 | gamma knife | 184 |
knife throwing | 496 | chef knife | 183 |
kershaw knife | 408 | cold steel knife | 181 |
automatic knife | 396 | knife making | 181 |
wholesale knife | 372 | spyderco knife | 178 |
bowie knife | 360 | knife sharpening | 167 |
switchblade and knife | 337 | tactical knife | 163 |
kitchen knife | 332 | smoky mountain knife works | 143 |
benchmade knife | 317 | randall knife | 143 |
custom knife | 283 | sword knife | 137 |
discount knife | 280 | mack the knife | 135 |
cutco knife | 273 | smokey mountain knife | 127 |
sog knife | 254 | knife for sale | 127 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "knife"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | mes. (various references) | |
Albanian | thikë (abrupt, blade, perpendicular, rugged, sharp, sharp pain, table knife), ther (bite, butcher, cut, slaughter, smart, sting, take to one's heels, tingle), pres (amputate, anticipate, await, be asking for, be expecting, be on the watch, be waiting, bide, buck, chop, clip, coin, cut, cut away, cut open, detruncate, disforest, dissect, entertain, expect, exscind, fell, hew, host, look for, look forward to, mince, mint, Nick, notch, obtruncate, poll, prune, screw, section, sever, shut off, sit on the fence, slash, slot, snip, take, Tarry, undercut, wait, ween, whack). (various references) | |
Arabic | مدية (blade, machete, penknife), قطع بالسكين, سيف (blade, sword), سكين, طعن (aspersion, impale, jab, jag, libel, pike, put a knife into smb., put off, recourse, remedy, slander, stab, strike, thrust, thrusting, transfix), النصل, شفرة السيف. (various references) | |
Asturian | cuchiellu. (various references) | |
Basque | ganibet. (various references) | |
Bavarian | messer. (various references) | |
Bemba | umwele. (various references) | |
Blackfoot | isttoán. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | скалпел (scalpel), режа с нож, цепя (cleave, hew down, skive, slash, slit, sliver, splinter, split), кастря (carpet, crop, lop, pare, pare off, prune, rap, trash), острие (blade, edge, nib, point, prick), операция (operation, operator), нож (carver, carving knife, dagger, side-arms, tool), нанасям удар с нож, зъб (cog, notch, prong, tongue, tooth), забивам нож в гърба, поря (busk, cleave, furrow, plough, rip, slice). (various references) | |
Catalan | ganivet (scissors). (various references) | |
Cebuano | kutsilyo. (various references) | |
Chamorro | se'se'. (various references) | |
Chinese | 刀子 . (various references) | |
Cornish | collel. (various references) | |
Czech | nùž (bit, case knife, snickersnee), nůž. (various references) | |
Danish | kniv (arch, cobbler's knife, culvert header, curd knife, cutter, knife-edge, shoeknife, side-arch brick). (various references) | |
Dutch | mes (blade, inserted tooth, knife-edge, scraper). (various references) | |
Ecuadorian Quechua | p'itina. (various references) | |
Esperanto | tranĉilo. (various references) | |
Faeroese | knívur. (various references) | |
Farsi | چاقوزدن(به), چاقو (Whittle), کارد (Daggar, Gully, Stiletto), گزلیک , تیغه (Blade, Bulkhead, Midriff, Partition, Septum). (various references) | |
Finnish | kaavinterä (scraper), kaavin (doctor, doctor blade, doctor knife, rabble, scraper), veitsi, terä (bit, blade, corolla, crown, cutter, edge, nib), puukottaa (stab), puukko. (various references) | |
French | couteau (knife-edge). (various references) | |
Frisian | mes, mês. (various references) | |
German | Messer (analyser, blade, cutter, knives, razor, scissors, spreader, switchblade). (various references) | |
Greek | μαχαίρι (dagger, knife (knives)). (various references) | |
Hebrew | למגר (cast down, defeat, knock out, overthrow, overturn, rout), לדקור בסכין, אולר (penknife, pocketknife), חרב (arid, cold steel, desolate, destroyed, parched, ruined, steel, sword, waste), סכין (blade). (various references) | |
Hungarian | kés (knives). (various references) | |
Icelandic | hnífur. (various references) | |
Indonesian | pisau (cutlery), menikam (prod, stab). (various references) | |
Inuktitut | savik. (various references) | |
Irish | scian. (various references) | |
Italian | coltello (blade, cutter, jackknife). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | ドレス店 (a patient's call button in a hospital, Don, Don Juan, donkey, don't mind, don't-know group, draw, draw ball, drawer, drawing, drawn game, drawnwork, dress store, dresser, dressing, dressing paper, dressing room, dressmaker, dressy, drone, drop, drop goal, drop handle, drop-kick, dropout, dungarees, dwarf, game under lights, knife ridge, knight, naive, nervous, Niagara, nice, nice guy, nice middle, nice shot, Nigeria, night, night cream, night game, night hospital, night latch, night show, night spot, night table, nightcap, nightclub, nightdress, nightgown, nightingale, nightmare, nightwear, Nike Hercules, Nile, Nile green, nurse, nurse bank, nurse call, nurse station, nursery, nursery tale, nylon latch, sunday, the firing of guns), 出刃包丁 (pointed carver), 出刃 (pointed carver), 刀 (blade, engraving tool, saber, sword). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | ナイフ , でばぼうちょう (pointed carver), でば (one's turn, overbite, place of projection, pointed carver, production center, protruding tooth), とう (and the like, be frozen over, building, cane, child, congeal, counter for large animals, engraving tool, et cetera, etc., foolishness, freeze, ground spider, pagoda, party, place, rattan, saber, section, servant, sickle, steal, sugar, sword, T'ang-Dynasty, to accuse, to ask, to charge, to question, tower, without regard to). (various references) | |
Kongo | mbele. (various references) | |
Korean | 칼 (knives, sword). (various references) | |
Macedonian | noz. (various references) | |
Malay | pisau. (various references) | |
Manx | skynney, seiy (agitate, bear down, churn, churning, foment, fomentation, gore, gore of bull, litter, lunge, mix up, mixing, mixture, muddy; pushing, prod, propel, propulsion, protrusion, push, shove, shoving, stab, stick, stir, stir up, thrust, tilt, tilting, transfix). (various references) | |
Maori | maripi. (various references) | |
Maya | lomob. (various references) | |
Norwegian | kniv. (various references) | |
Occitan | ganiva, cotèl. (various references) | |
Papago | wainomi (metal). (various references) | |
Papiamen | kuchiu, kuchú. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ifeknay.(various references) | |
Polish | nóż. (various references) | |
Portuguese | faca (gaff, skiver, table-knife), navalha (claw, razor). (various references) | |
Provencal | cotèl. (various references) | |
Romanian | tãia cu cuţitul (Whittle), racletã (doctor), lovi cu cuţitul, dinte de frezã, cuţit (bistoury, chisel, lancet, penknife), bisturiu (bistoury), înjunghia cu cuţitul. (various references) | |
Romansch | cuntè. (various references) | |
Romany | cshoorì. (various references) | |
Ruanda | imbugita. (various references) | |
Russian | нож (bowie knife, switchblade). (various references) | |
Samoan | naifi. (various references) | |
Scottish | sgian (a knife). (various references) | |
Sepedi | thipa. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | za nož, udarati nožem, od noža, nož (slice, snickersnee). (various references) | |
Shona | banga. (various references) | |
Sicilian | cuteddu. (various references) | |
Spanish | cuchillo (Fang), cuchilla (blade, chopper, Colter, coulter, cutter). (various references) | |
Sranan | nefi. (various references) | |
Swahili | kisu. (various references) | |
Swazi | úmu-khwá. (various references) | |
Swedish | kniv (cutter, razor). (various references) | |
Tagalog | kutsílyo, lanséta. (various references) | |
Thai | ใบมีด, แทงด้วยมีด, มีด (chib). (various references) | |
Turkish | kesmek (abandon, amputate, Bate, blunt, break, butcher, carve, cease, chaff, chop, chop off, clip, close, close down, crop, cut, cut back, cut off, cut out, deaden, disconnect, discontinue, dock, drop, dry up, excise, fair, fell, gash, give over, hack, hew, interrupt, intersect, kill, lay off, lop, lop off, Nick, nick oneself, nip, nip off, occlude, pare, poll, prune, saw off, sever, shave, shear, shut down on, shut down upon, shut off, slash, slaughter, slice, slit, snick, stanch, staunch, stem, stop, truncate, wrap it up, wrap up), bíçak, bıçaklamak (carve up, chive, stab, stick), bıçak (chive), arkadan vurmak, çaki. (various references) | |
Turkmen | pyзaklamak (stab), pyзak (blade). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | скальпель (scalpel), різати ножем, кинджал (baselard, dagger, poniard, snickersnee, stiletto, whinger), ніж (before, chive, chopper, less than, nor, spade, than, within). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | phấn chùi dao (knife-polish), người mài dao rong dụng cụ mài dao (knife-grinder), người mài dao (knife-grinder), máy rửa dao (knife-machine), em bé rửa dao (knife-boy), dao gắn mát tít (putty knife), cái liếc dao (knife-sharpener), cái để mài dao (knife-sharpener). (various references) | |
Welsh | cyllell. (various references) | |
Zulu | ummese. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Old French | 900-1400 | couteau. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Proverbs Chapter 23, Verse 2 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai epiballe thn ceira sou eidwV oti toiauta se dei paraskeuasai |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Et statue cultrum in gutture tuo si tamen habes in potestate animam tuam |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | And set a culter in thi throte. If `ner the latere thou haue power in to thi soule, |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And put a knife to thy throat, if thou art a man given to appetite. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Proverbs Chapter 23, Verse 2 |
| Cebuano | Ug ibutang ang usa ka cuchillo sa imong totonlan, Kong ikaw usa ka tawo nga ulipon sa kailibgon. |
| Croatian | stavljaš nož sebi pod grlo ako si proždrljivac; |
| Danish | og sæt dig en Kniv på Struben, i Fald du er alt for sulten. |
| Dutch | En zet een mes aan uw keel, indien gij een gulzig mens zijt; |
| Finnish | ja pane veitsi kurkullesi, jos olet kovin nälkäinen. |
| French | Mets un couteau à ta gorge, Si tu as trop d`avidité. |
| German | und setze ein Messer an deine Kehle, wenn du gierig bist. |
| Haitian Creole | Si ou se yon moun ki gen bon lapeti, kontwole bouch ou. |
| Hungarian | És kést tégy a torkodra, ha mértékletlen vagy. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Bila engkau mempunyai nafsu makan yang besar, tahanlah keinginanmu itu. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Kenakanlah mata pisau pada lehermu, jikalau kiranya engkau seorang yang suka makan. |
| Italian | mettiti un coltello alla gola, se hai molto appetito. |
| Maori | Whakapakia he maripi ki tou korokoro, ki te mea he tangata kakai koe. |
| Norwegian | og sette en kniv på din strupe, hvis du er grådig. |
| Portuguese | e põe uma faca à tua garganta, se fores homem de grande apetite. |
| Rumanian | pune-yi un cuyit kn gkt, dacq ewti prea lacom. |
| Russian | Й РПУФБЧШ РТЕЗТБДХ Ч ЗПТФБОЙ ФЧПЕК, ЕУМЙ ФЩ БМЮЕО. |
| Spanish | Pon cuchillo a tu garganta, si tienes gran apetito. |
| Swedish | och sätt en kniv på din strupe, om du är alltför hungrig. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "knife": knifed, knifelike, knifepoint, knifepoints, knifer, knifers, knifes. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "knife": drawknife, jackknife, penknife, pocketknife. (additional references) | |
Words containing "knife": jackknifed, jackknifes. (additional references) | |
| |
"Knife" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Akinfii, Cinefex, inoffe, kif, kife, kifer, Kiffa, Kineff, Kinge, kinuffa, klief, knabe, knaf, Knafler, kneef, knef, Knefel, Kneiffii, knie, Knieen, knif, knifer, Kniffen, knifie, knify, knise, knite, knive, knofe, knuffe, knuge, nafe, Naffah, naffi, nafu, nibe, nif, nifa, Nife, nifer, niffer, nifk, nifo, nifs, nige, niqe, niue, niwe, nize, Npfa, nyfe, nyflex. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "knife" (pronounced nī"f) |
| 2 | -ī" f | Fife, life, rife, strife, wife. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-f-i-k-n" | |
-1 letter: fine, fink, kief, kine, neif. | |
-2 letters: fen, fie, fin, ink, kef, ken, kif, kin. | |
-3 letters: ef, en, if, in, ne. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-f-i-k-n" | |
+1 letter: finked, knifed, knifer, knifes. | |
+2 letters: fanlike, finlike, funkier, kerfing, knifers. | |
+3 letters: fanglike, faunlike, fawnlike, fernlike, firepink, flecking, flinkite, flunkies, foreskin, freaking, funkiest, penknife, refusnik. | |
+4 letters: drawknife, finickier, firepinks, flakiness, flinkites, flintlike, foreskins, freckling, funkiness, jackknife, knifelike, refusenik, refusniks, zinkified, zinkifies. | |
+5 letters: beflecking, defrocking, distelfink, fickleness, fingerlike, fingerpick, finickiest, finnickier, flickering, folksiness, folksinger, freakiness, friskiness, jackknifed, jackknifes, kingfisher, kingfishes, knifepoint, monkfishes, refuseniks. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Familiar 11. Quotations: Fiction 12. Quotations: Non-fiction | 13. Quotations: Speeches 14. Usage Frequency 15. Names: Frequency 16. Names: Company Usage | 17. Expressions 18. Expressions: Internet 19. Translations: Modern 20. Translations: Ancient | 21. Bible Trace 22. Derivations 23. Rhymes 24. Anagrams | 25. Bibliography |
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