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

A surgeon at a crisis-hit NHS trust used a Swiss Army penknife to open up the chest of a patient because he claimed he could not find a sterile scalpel.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2024

“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

My dad marked the man’s gun by carving his initials with a penknife on the handle.

From New York Times • Jan. 9, 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

With his penknife he whittled sticks to make pegs and fastened the board to the box with them.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George