Wordfinder

Penknife definition

pĕnnīf
penknives
See word origin
Frequency:
A small pocketknife.
noun
0
0
A small pocketknife; originally, one used in fashioning quill pens.
noun
0
0
A small pocketknife; a small knife with a blade which folds into the hand. Penknives often incorporate other tools such as corkscrews, and are generally smaller than pocketknives as a group.
noun
0
0
Advertisement

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
penknife
Plural:
penknives

Origin of penknife

  • So called because it was originally used for cutting quill pens

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • originally a small knife used for cutting the nib of a quill pen

    From Wiktionary

Penknife Sentence Examples

  • He tried to get in with the blade of a very small penknife.

  • The battery was evidently fully charged as a large spark shot out when Paul jabbed his little penknife scissors into the contacts.

  • With my sharp penknife I opened a vein in one of the whitest arms I ever beheld.

  • He found a dirty handkerchief, a conker on a piece of string and a rusty old penknife.

More sentences

Related articles

Words near penknife in the Dictionary