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View synonyms for

penknife

[ pen-nahyf ]

noun

plural penknives.
  1. a small pocketknife, formerly one used for making and sharpening quill pens. pen.


penknife

/ ˈɛˌԲɪ /

noun

  1. a small knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle; pocketknife
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of penknife1

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; pen 1, knife
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of penknife1

C15: so called because it was originally used for making and repairing quill pens
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The surgeon in the penknife case, who the BBC is not naming, was operating on a patient at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton when he struggled to find a scalpel.

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He managed to tear a flat strip of wood from a nearby log and with his pearl-handled penknife whittled a shapely handle.

From

In others, he utilized a metal comb, or a penknife’s back, or a razor’s edge.

From

And their behavior made them notorious, as when Capote threw himself a lavish masquerade party, the Black and White Ball, or when Mailer almost killed his wife by stabbing her with a penknife.

From

The creature flapped and struggled, but Doc held it fast and made a little cut on its back with a penknife.

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