penknife
noun
a small pocketknife, formerly one used for making and sharpening quill pens.
penknives
-
pluralof penknife.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The journeys are constructed to echo one another; in each, the voyagers carry “a hipflask, two penknives, matches & candles,” as well as a copy of Geoffrey Household’s 1939 thriller “Rogue Male.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2020
They began excavating the ceratopsian with penknives and brushes.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 17, 2019
All three studies featured a phase in which the two groups competed for scarce resources such as prized penknives.
From Nature ● Apr. 16, 2018
We substitute data transmission, the Internet, and Web services for quill pens, penknives, and illuminated script these days.
From Forbes ● Nov. 9, 2012
At Sikandra, Akbar’s tomb, they gaze at gilded frescoes in the entryway, chipped, ransacked, burned, the gems gouged out with penknives, graffiti etched into the stone.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
