bowie knife

[ boh-ee, boo-ee ]

/ ˈboʊ i, ˈbu i /

noun

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

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

Word Origin and History for bowie knife

bowie knife

1827, named for its inventor, U.S. fighter and frontiersman Col. James "Jim" Bowie (1799-1836), and properly pronounced "boo-ee."

bowie knife

noun

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Origin of bowie knife

Examples from the Web for bowie knife

British Dictionary definitions for bowie knife

bowie knife

noun

Word Origin for bowie knife

Word Origin and History for bowie knife

bowie knife