(a) A knife; a dagger or sheath knife carried or worn on the person; a knife as a weapon [usually distinguished from sword]; also fig.; (b) an instrument for cutting or scraping made of material other than metal; (c) in phrases: kene as (kener than) ~, sharp as (sharper than) a knife; kene kervinge as knives, sharp cutting as knives; knives draue, drawn knives; at knives todrauen, on the point of fighting; knives point, point of a ~, the point of a knife; leien ~ with, to dine with (sb.); -- used fig.; paire (of) knives, a pair or a set of knives; sword or ~, sword or knife, any weapon; with ~, with sword or (other) with ~, by violence, by force of arms; with a weapon; with sword and ~, with weapons; ne mid sword ne mid ~, with no weapon; withouten ~, without a weapon, without violence; withouten other sword or ~, with ~ ne with egge, without a weapon; (d) in proverbs; (e) in cpds. and combs.: bred ~, a bread knife; croumb ~, knife with a curved blade; dressinge ~, knife for preparing food [see also dressinge]; develes ~, a weapon of the Devil; irish ~, a dagger or short sword of Irish design or manufacture [cp. irish skene under Irish adj. (b)]; ~ caster, ~ warper, one who throws or juggles with knives; ~ pleiinge, juggling with knives; ~ shavinge, scraping with a knife; ~ smith, a cutler; -- only as surn.; long ~, a long dagger; baselard ~, choppinge ~, Doncaster ~, dressour ~, kervinge ~, kichene ~, lechinge ~, nail ~, panetrie ~, paringe ~, rasour ~, scrapinge ~, vine ~, wode ~, q.v.

(a) A surgical instrument; (b) the knife, traditionally made of flint, used in the Jewish rite of circumcision; also fig.

As surname.