penknife

American  

[pen-nahyf] / ˈpɛnˌnaɪf /

noun

plural

penknives

1. a small pocketknife, formerly one used for making and sharpening quill pens. pen.

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penknife British  

/ ˈpɛnˌnaɪf /

noun

1. a small knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle; pocketknife

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Etymology

Origin of penknife

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; pen ¹, knife

Example Sentences

A surgeon at a crisis-hit NHS trust used a Swiss Army penknife to open up the chest of a patient because he claimed he could not find a sterile scalpel.

From BBC

He managed to tear a flat strip of wood from a nearby log and with his pearl-handled penknife whittled a shapely handle.

From Literature

In others, he utilized a metal comb, or a penknife’s back, or a razor’s edge.

From Los Angeles Times

The mother-of-pearl penknife inscribed with "Winston L S Churchill" is thought to have been used by Britain's wartime leader to trim the end of his cigars.

From BBC

My dad marked the man’s gun by carving his initials with a penknife on the handle.

From New York Times