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{{Short description|Small folding knife}}
{{Short description|Small folding knife}}
{{About|the quill and reed pen sharpening knife|the knife concealed in a pen|Ballpoint pen knife}}
[[File:Pocket-knife.jpg|thumb|A simple penknife]]
[[File:Pocket-knife.jpg|thumb|A simple penknife]]
[[File:Writing in bound manuscripts with reed, reed knife, and ink well; citing bound rubricated manuscripts with fore- and top-edge clasps and sharpening a reed pen (Genoa, 16th. c.) (8067971786).jpg|thumb|Using a penknife to cut a pen]]
[[File:Writing in bound manuscripts with reed, reed knife, and ink well; citing bound rubricated manuscripts with fore- and top-edge clasps and sharpening a reed pen (Genoa, 16th. c.) (8067971786).jpg|thumb|A 16th century depiction of using a penknife on a quill]]


'''Penknife''', or '''pen knife''', is a small folding [[knife]].<ref name="EB1770-1"/> Today ''penknife'' is also the common British English term for both a [[pocketknife]], which can have single or multiple blades, and for [[multi-tool]]s, with additional tools incorporated into the design.<ref name="Moore1988"/>
'''Penknife''', or '''pen knife''', is a small folding [[knife]].<ref name="EB1770-1"/> Today ''penknife'' is also the common British English term for both a [[pocketknife]], which can have single or multiple blades, and for [[multi-tool]]s, with additional tools incorporated into the design.<ref name="Moore1988"/>
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Originally, penknives were used for thinning and pointing [[quill]]s (cf. ''penna'', Latin for ''feather'') to prepare them for use as [[dip pen]]s and, later, for repairing or re-pointing the [[Nib (pen)|nib]].<ref name="EB1770-1"/> A penknife might also be used to sharpen a [[pencil]],<ref name="Machen1895"/> prior to the invention of the [[pencil sharpener]]. In the mid-1800s, penknives were necessary to slice the uncut edges of newspapers and books.<ref name="Flanders2014"/>
Originally, penknives were used for thinning and pointing [[quill]]s (cf. ''penna'', Latin for ''feather'') to prepare them for use as [[dip pen]]s and, later, for repairing or re-pointing the [[Nib (pen)|nib]].<ref name="EB1770-1"/> A penknife might also be used to sharpen a [[pencil]],<ref name="Machen1895"/> prior to the invention of the [[pencil sharpener]]. In the mid-1800s, penknives were necessary to slice the uncut edges of newspapers and books.<ref name="Flanders2014"/>


A penknife did not necessarily have a folding [[blade]], but might resemble a [[scalpel]] or [[chisel]] by having a short, fixed blade at the end of a long handle.{{cn}}
A penknife did not necessarily have a folding [[blade]], but might resemble a [[scalpel]] or [[chisel]] by having a short, fixed blade at the end of a long handle.{{cn|date=August 2023}}


During the 20th century there has been a proliferation of multi-function [[pocketknives]] with assorted blades and gadgets,<ref name="Shackleford2010"/> the most famous of which is the [[Swiss Army knife]], referred to in British English as penknives.
During the 20th century there has been a proliferation of multi-function [[pocketknives]] with assorted blades and gadgets,<ref name="Shackleford2010"/> the most famous of which is the [[Swiss Army knife]], referred to in British English as penknives.


A larger folding knife, especially one in which the blade locks into place, is often called a [[claspknife]].<ref name="Shackleford2010"/>
A larger folding knife than a penknife, especially one in which the blade locks into place as a protection, as for skinning animals, is referred to by some as a [[claspknife]].<ref name="Shackleford2010"/>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Ballpoint pen knife]]
* [[Opinel knife]]
* [[Opinel knife]]
* [[Penny knife]]
* [[Penny knife]]
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</references>
</references>




{{Knives}}
{{Knives}}

Latest revision as of 05:34, 19 September 2024

This article is about the quill and reed pen sharpening knife. For the knife concealed in a pen, see Ballpoint pen knife.
A simple penknife
A 16th century depiction of using a penknife on a quill

Penknife, or pen knife, is a small folding knife.[1] Today penknife is also the common British English term for both a pocketknife, which can have single or multiple blades, and for multi-tools, with additional tools incorporated into the design.[2]

History

[edit]

Originally, penknives were used for thinning and pointing quills (cf. penna, Latin for feather) to prepare them for use as dip pens and, later, for repairing or re-pointing the nib.[1] A penknife might also be used to sharpen a pencil,[3] prior to the invention of the pencil sharpener. In the mid-1800s, penknives were necessary to slice the uncut edges of newspapers and books.[4]

A penknife did not necessarily have a folding blade, but might resemble a scalpel or chisel by having a short, fixed blade at the end of a long handle.[citation needed]

During the 20th century there has been a proliferation of multi-function pocketknives with assorted blades and gadgets,[5] the most famous of which is the Swiss Army knife, referred to in British English as penknives.

A larger folding knife than a penknife, especially one in which the blade locks into place as a protection, as for skinning animals, is referred to by some as a claspknife.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b A Society of Gentlemen in Scotland (1773). Volume 3. Oxford University: John Donaldson 195 The Strand. p. 524. Retrieved 18 December 2014. upon your knee with the back of a penknife,
  2. ^ Moore, Simon (1988). Penknives and Other Folding Knives. Osprey Publishing. pp. 25–26. ISBN 978-0-85263-966-5.
  3. ^ Arthur Machen (1895). The Three Impostors. London: John Lane. As he came along in the train, he had been sharpening a pencil, and the sudden jolt of the engine as it drew up at a station had driven the penknife against his face...
  4. ^ Flanders, Judith (2014). The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-250-04021-3.
  5. ^ a b Shackleford, Steve (5 January 2010). Blade's Guide to Knives & Their Values. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 219–222. ISBN 978-1-4402-1505-6.
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