bowie knife

[ boh-ee, boo-ee ]

/ ˈboʊ i, ˈbu i /

noun

a heavy sheath knife having a long, single-edged blade.

Nearby words

bowfin, bowgrace, bowhead, bowhunting, bowie, bowie knife, bowie state, bowing, bowknot, bowl, bowl game

Origin of bowie knife

1830–40, Americanism; named after James Bowie, for whom the knife was designed, either by James or his brother Rezin P. Bowie (1793–1841)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bowie knife

Within was found another case, which was pried open with the point of the general's bowie-knife.
The Golden Fleece|Julian Hawthorne
There are a couple of guns there, but of course they would not be any good, although the bowie-knife hanging by them would.
A Visit to Java|W. Basil Worsfold
She sent forth hordes to mob printing-presses, overawe the ballot-box, substitute the bowie-knife and revolver for the civil law.
The Secret Service.|Albert D. Richardson
I mean that before you could draw that bowie-knife, you wear down your back, I'd cut you into shingles.
The Octoroon|Dion Boucicault

To the left of his belt hangs a bowie-knife, to the right a revolver.
A Lady's Captivity among Chinese Pirates in the Chinese Seas|Fanny Loviot

British Dictionary definitions for bowie knife

bowie knife

/ (ˈbəʊɪ) /

noun

a stout hunting knife with a short hilt and a guard for the hand

Word Origin for bowie knife

C19: named after Jim Bowie, who popularized it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012