knife

Also known as knives, knife blade

thumb|upright=1.5|alt=Large knife with polished wooden handle, close to a leather sheath|A Bowie knife of [[pattern-welded steel]]

AI overview

A knife is a tool with a sharp blade attached to a handle, used for cutting and other practical tasks. The Bowie knife shown here, made from pattern-welded steel with a wooden handle, is a historically significant example of knife design that has been widely used and recognized.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Subclass of: archaeological artefact
Has part: tang
Image: 4Messer (fcm).png
Has use: throwing weapon

Show 12 more facts

Commons gallery: Knife
Commons category: Knives
topic's main category: Category:Knives
MCN code: 8211.91.00
used by: murderer
described by source: Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
partially coincident with: puukko
topic has template: Template:Knives
P8168: SWA
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
hashtag: knife
Unicode character: 🔪

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~31 min read

Encyclopedic overview

18 sections

Contents

Parts
Blade
Fixed-blade features
Folding blade features
Common locking mechanisms
Sliding blade features
Handle
Types
Weapons
Sports equipment
Utensils
Tools
Traditional and religious implements
Rituals and superstitions
Legislation
See also
References
External links

thumb|upright=1.5|alt=Large knife with polished wooden handle, close to a leather sheath|A Bowie knife of [[pattern-welded steel]]

A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of wood, bone, and stone (such as flint and obsidian), over the centuries, in step with improvements in both metallurgy and manufacturing, knife blades have been made from copper, bronze, iron, steel, ceramic, and titanium. Most modern knives have fixed or folding blades, with styles varying by maker and country.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “knife” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.