penknife

American  

[pen-nahyf] / ˈpɛnˌnaɪf /

noun

plural

penknives

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

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penknife British  

/ ˈpɛnˌnaɪf /

noun

1. a small knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle; pocketknife

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Etymology

Origin of penknife

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at pen ¹, knife

Example Sentences

“Hold me back, hold me back,” yelled Nats pitching coach Jim Hickey, imitating Girardi’s lame attempt to act like a 56-year-old man anxious to duel with a penknife.

From Washington Post • Jun. 30, 2021

Gather up cardboard, penknife, paste, and calico scraps, and make a dollhouse bed with your kids this holiday week.

From Slate • Dec. 24, 2018

In one meeting with MCA’s lawyers, Petty’s manager later said, Petty “had a penknife that he got out, opened the penknife and started cleaning his nails.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2017

Mr. Kumana showed him how to scratch a message with a penknife in the delicate skin beneath the hard shell of a coconut.

From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2014

Tanin toyed with a silver penknife, twirling it impatiently between her fingers.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee