Nearby Words
noun
plural of knife.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
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)
Idiom6.
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:
before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr
before 1100; Middle English knif, Old English cnīf; cognate with Dutch knijf, German Kneif, Old Norse knīfr
Related forms
knife·like, adjective
knif·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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