knife

CEFRA1

/ˈnaɪ̯f/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sharp tool with a blade used for cutting things.

  2. 02

    verb

    To cut or stab someone with a knife.

Examples

  • He used a sharp knife to slice the bread.

  • The knife we used to cut the bread with was sharp.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈnɐɪ̯f/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A weapon designed with the aforementioned specifications intended for slashing or stabbing but too short to be called a sword; a dagger.

  2. Any blade-like part in a tool or a machine designed for cutting, such as that of a chipper.

  3. A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge, attached to a handle. The blade may be pointed for piercing.

More examples

In context

  • This knife was very useful to me.

  • He was looking for a knife to chop some steak.

  • She was repeatedly knifed in the chest.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The professional chef used a sharp blank to cut the vegetables into very thin strips.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English knyf, knif, from late Old English cnīf, from Old Norse knífr or Proto-West Germanic *knīb, from Proto-Germanic *knībaz, from *knīpaną (“to pinch”), Proto-Indo-European *gneybʰ- (compare Lithuanian gnýbti, žnýbti (“to pinch”), gnaibis (“pinching”)). Displaced native Middle English sax (“knife”), from Old English seax; and Middle English coutel, qwetyll (“knife”) from Old French coutel. * The verb is first attested in 1865. The variant knive is first attested in 1733. Cognates Cognate with Yola kunnife (“knife”), North Frisian knif (“knife”), Dutch knijf (“long pointy knife, poniard”), German Knifte (“rifle; thick slicebread”), German Low German Knief (“knife”), Luxembourg...