1-Stop Dictionary Reference

Penknife

Acceptable For Game Play - US & UK word lists

This word is acceptable for play in the US & UK dictionaries that are being used in the following games:

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. A small pocketknife.

Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. 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.

the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

n. A small pocketknife; formerly, a knife used for making and mending quill pens.

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

n. A small pocket-knife: so called from its former use in making and mending quill pens.

WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

n. a small pocketknife; originally used to cut quill pens

Word Usage

"But his penknife was a tiny thing, suitable for sharpening quills and cutting paper, not to doing battle with monstrous stone dogs."

Hypernym

Words that are more generic or abstract

pocketknife

Variant

penknives

Form

Swiss Army knife

Same Context

Words that are found in similar contexts

scalpel gimlet scissor chisel pliers