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knifelike

 - 3 dictionary results

knife

[nahyf] noun, plural knives [nahyvz] , verb, knifed, knif⋅ing.
–noun
1. an instrument for cutting, consisting essentially of a thin, sharp-edged, metal blade fitted with a handle.
2. a knifelike weapon; dagger or short sword.
3. any blade for cutting, as in a tool or machine.
–verb (used with object)
4. to apply a knife to; cut, stab, etc., with a knife.
5. to attempt to defeat or undermine in a secret or underhanded way.
–verb (used without object)
6. to move or cleave through something with or as if with a knife: The ship knifed through the heavy seas.
7. under the knife, in surgery; undergoing a medical operation: The patient was under the knife for four hours.

Origin:
bef. 1100; ME knif, OE cnīf; c. D knijf, G Kneif, ON knīfr


knifelike, adjective
knifer, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

knife 
late O.E. cnif, from O.N. knifr, from P.Gmc. *knibaz (cf. M.L.G. knif, M.Du. cnijf, Ger. kneip), of uncertain origin. The verb is first attested 1865, from the noun. Fr. canif "penknife" (1441) is borrowed from M.E. or O.N.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: knife
Pronunciation: 'nIf
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural knives /'nIvz/
1 : any of variousinstruments used in surgery primarily to sever tissues: as a : a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade attached to a handle b : an instrument that cuts bymeans of an electrical current
2 : SURGERY 3 —usually used in the phrase under the knifeknife this morning> knife>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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