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penknife

noun

Etymology

From Middle English penne knyfe; equivalent to pen + knife. In the original sense, named for its purpose: aiding the use of a (traditional) ink pen through the following tasks: trimming the tip of a quill pen, trimming a reed for a nib, and (in some cases) allowing erasure by scraping away some ink.

  1. inherited from penne knyfe

Definitions

  1. A small pocketknife

    A small pocketknife; (loosely) any pocketknife.

    • Limpet's penknife was on the table, and he snatched that up and commenced stabbing it into the cork, whether as a means of getting it out, or merely as a relief to his passion, it is difficult to say.

  2. A small knife designed for safe and convenient storage, typically in the form of a…

    A small knife designed for safe and convenient storage, typically in the form of a miniature clasp-knife, or with blade retractable into the handle.

  3. A small knife for cutting the points of quill feathers or reeds into nibs to provide or…

    A small knife for cutting the points of quill feathers or reeds into nibs to provide or repair writing implements, early versions were commonly small sheath knives.

  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. To cut or carve with a penknife.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for penknife. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA