paper knife

American  

noun

1. a small, often decorative, knifelike instrument with a blade of metal, ivory, wood, or the like, for slitting open envelopes, the leaves of books, folded papers, etc.

2. the blade of a paper cutter.

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Etymology

Origin of paper knife

First recorded in 1800–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paper knife

A discomfiting distinction between a "paper knife" and a "paper cutter."

From Time Magazine Archive

He found it quite easy to get around in Manhattan until he asked for a "paper knife."

From Time Magazine Archive

Then he took his ivory paper knife and carefully slit it open.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Then he tried with a coin, a paper knife, and the bottom of a glass.

From Ring Once for Death by Robert Andrew Arthur

She had taken up a paper knife, and was cutting the pages of her book.

From To Win the Love He Sought The Great Awakening: Volume 3 by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim

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