bowie knife

American  

[boh-ee, boo-ee] / ˈboʊ i, ˈbu i /

noun

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

---

bowie knife British  

/ ˈbəʊɪ /

noun

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

---

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

Clay’s outspokenness put his life at constant risk; he traveled with a set of pistols and a Bowie knife strapped to his chest.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lincoln’s secretary, John Hay, described Clay on a visit to the White House, wearing “with a sublimely unconscious air, three pistols and an Arkansas toothpick”—his Bowie knife.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I was expecting him to blaze up on a Harley with a Bowie knife in his boot.”

From Salon

“Like the Bowie Knife which was commonly carried by citizens and soldiers in the 1800s,” Benitez wrote at the start of his decision, “ ‘assault weapons’ are dangerous, but useful.”

From Los Angeles Times

A bowie knife with an elk-horn handle.

From Literature