knife

From Middle English knyf, knif, from late Old English cnīf, from Old Norse knífr (compare Danish/Swedish/Norwegian kniv), North Frisian Knif from Proto-Germanic *knībaz (compare Low German Knief, Luxembourgish Knäip (“penknife”)), from *knīpaną (“to pinch”) (compare Dutch knijpen, Low German kniepen, Old High German gniffen), from Proto-Indo-European *gneibʰ- (compare Lithuanian gnýbti, žnýbti (“to pinch”), gnaibis (“pinching”)). Replaced Middle English sax.

The verb knife is attested since the mid 1800s;[1] the variant knive is attested since 1733.

• enPR: nīf, IPA^(key): /naɪf/

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• Rhymes: -aɪf

knife (plural knives)

1. A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge, attached to a handle. The blade may be pointed for piercing.
   • 2007, Scott Smith, The Ruins, page 273

     Jeff was bent low over the backboard, working with the knife, a steady sawing motion, his shirt soaked through with sweat.

2. A weapon designed with the aforementioned specifications intended for slashing and/or stabbing and too short to be called a sword. A dagger.
3. Any blade-like part in a tool or a machine designed for cutting, such as that of a chipper.

• Sranan Tongo: nefi

• athame
• bayonet
• bistoury
• cake slice, cake-slice
• dagger
• poniard
• scalpel
• stiletto
• knife on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

knife (third-person singular simple present knifes, present participle knifing, simple past and past participle knifed)

1. (transitive) To cut with a knife.
2. (transitive) To use a knife to injure or kill by stabbing, slashing, or otherwise using the sharp edge of the knife as a weapon.
3. (intransitive) To cut through as if with a knife.
4. (transitive) To betray, especially in the context of a political slate.
5. (transitive) To positively ignore, especially in order to denigrate. compare cut

• Finke

knife

1. Alternative form of knyf