couteau

American  

[koo-toh] / kuˈtoʊ /

noun

plural

couteaux

1. a knife, especially a large double-edged one formerly carried as a weapon.

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couteau British  

/ kuːˈtəʊ /

noun

1. a large two-edged knife used formerly as a weapon

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Etymology

Origin of couteau

1670–80; < French; Old French coutel < Latin cultellus; cultellus

Example Sentences

The so called "Roman swords" are "anelaces," and a couteau de chasse of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

From Notes and Queries, Number 42, August 17, 1850 by Various

As already said, the topography of the place is peculiar; the lone cottonwood standing on the crest of a couteau de prairie, whose sides slope east and west.

From The Death Shot A Story Retold by Reid, Mayne

He wore a velvet doublet of green, slashed with gold, and ornamented by a broad belt, from which hung his couteau de chasse; even to the falcon feather in his cap, nothing was forgotten.

From Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume II by Lever, Charles James

"And is he as ready with the gun as with the couteau?" said Sir William.

From The Bride of Lammermoor by Scott, Walter, Sir

There is usually a coup de couteau before the season ends.

From Italian Letters of a Diplomat's Life January-May, 1880; February-April, 1904 by Waddington, Mary Alsop King