bowie knife

American  

[boh-ee, boo-ee] / ˈboʊ i, ˈbu i /

noun

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

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bowie knife British  

/ ˈbəʊɪ /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of bowie knife

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

Example Sentences

Mr. Davies laid out a map of Arkansas on a heavy wooden table in his office; a shiny silver bowie knife in a shadow box was displayed nearby.

From New York Times • Sep. 30, 2014

David Bowie Is V&A, London SW7 Starts 23 MarchUntil 11 August 020-7942 2000 Venue details David Bowie: An 18in bowie knife … you don't do things by halves do you?

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2013

He even uses it as the model for a pike, essentially a bowie knife at the end of a six-foot pole.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2012

This is zero-unemployment-speak for "All the upwardly failing executives have jobs, and we figured you wouldn't vomit at the bowie knife thing."

From Time Magazine Archive

Even though a big part of Citra wanted to bolt through the door and run from this, she squared her shoulders, stood tall, reached down, and took the bowie knife.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman