Knife (nonfiction)

From Gnomon Chronicles
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Egypt knife. Naqada III Period (3050 - 2920 BCE).

A knife (plural knives) is a tool with a cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with most having a handle.

Many types of knives are used as tools, such as the utility knife carried by soldiers, the pocket knife carried by hikers and the hunting knife used by hunters.

Some types of knives are used as weapons, such as the daggers used by commandos or the switchblades used by 1950s-era criminal gang members.

Knife-like tools were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools.

Due to its role as humankind's first tool, certain cultures have attached spiritual and religious significance to the knife.

The word knife possibly descends from an old Norse word knifr for blade.

In the News

Fiction cross-reference

Nonfiction cross-reference

External links: