I. ˈnīf noun
( plural knives ˈnīvz)
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English knif, from Old English cnīf, perhaps from Old Norse knīfr; akin to Middle Low German knīf knife
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : a cutting instrument consisting of a sharp blade fastened to a handle
b. : a weapon resembling a knife
2. : a sharp cutting blade or tool in a machine
3. : surgery 4 — usually used in the phrase under the knife
• knife·like ˈnīf-ˌlīk adjective
II. verb
( knifed ; knif·ing )
Date: 1865
transitive verb
1. : to use a knife on ; specifically : to stab, slash, or wound with a knife
2. : to cut, mark, or spread with a knife
3. : to try to defeat by underhanded means
4. : to move like a knife in
birds knifing the autumn sky
intransitive verb
: to cut a way with or as if with a knife blade
the cruiser knifed through the heavy seas