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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Knife, Knyf(e, n. Also: knif(f; knyffe, knyiff, knyef; knyve. Plur. knyvis, -ys, -es, knywis; and kniffis, knyf(f)is, knyiffis, etc. [ME. knif(e, knyf(e, etc., and knive, knyve, pl. knives, cnives (also -fes, -fen), late OE. Cníf, ON. Knífr.Until late in the 16th c. the spellings knyf(f, knyfe, are appar. almost invariably preferred to knife.]

1. A knife.(1) sing. (a) a1400 Leg. S. xl. 1139.
In my mouth the heft … & outwart the blad of a knyfe
14.. Acts I. *91/2.
Na barganour … sal ber a knyff with a poynt
c1450 Cr. Deyng (S.T.S.) 119.
He opnyt na mare his mouth na the lamm dois quhen his throt is wndyr the knyf
Ib. 173.
As ane hamyr is ane instrument to mak a knyf wyth
a1500 Seven S. 1539.
I wald that knyf wnforgit had bene
1513 Doug. xii. vii. 15.
With a scharp knyf
1522 Dunferm. B. Rec. I. 209.
Hat and bonat belt and knyf and best sark
1594 Misc. Spald. C. II. 124.
Ye left your knyfe at the lok of the coffer, quhilk knyfe Williame Innes cognoscit
1666 Edinb. Test. LXXII. 110.
Ane old cutting boord with ane knyfe
(b) 1560 Rolland Seven S. 3420.
With ane knife hir [the magpie's] heid he did of snek
1617 Acts IV. 550/2.
Nane of the Clangregour suld … beare … ony kynd of armoure bot ane pointles kniff to cutt thair meate
(2) plur. (a) 1375 Barb. i. 356.
The byschop … gert him wer His knyvys, forouch him to scher
1489 Acta Conc. I. 131/2.
Thai haid deliuerit the belt of siluer with the knywis
1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 368.
2 knyves for imping
(b) 14.. Acts I. 305/2.
Of a hundreth knyfys a half peny
1621 Edinb. Test. LI. 63.
Sex dosone … of knyffis at iij li. the dosone
1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 358.
3 bon hefts of knyfes
(c) 1652 Old Ross-shire II. 43.
3 kniffis to the garrison of Balnagowin

2. (In the following contexts certain of the specific types or uses of knife are indicated.) a. A knife as a weapon.sing. (a) (1) 1375 Barb. ii. 35.
Syne with a knyff … hym reft the lyff
Ib. x. 416; c1475 Wall. v. 1022.
[He] stekit him vpward vith ane knyff
1456 Hay I. 64/2.
[No] wapnis … nocht samekle as a knyf
a1500 Rauf C. 864.
Ilk ane a schort knyfe braidit out sone
c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvi. 32.
His [Ire's] hand wes ay vpoun his knyfe
1522–3 Selkirk B. Ct. fol. 98 b.
With that he layit his hand upone his knyf
1612 Comrie Hist. Sc. Medic. I. 243.
[To] weir ony dager, quhinȝard or knyff except ane knyff to cut thair meit wanting the point
1656 St. A. Baxter Bks. 125.
Convict of drawin ane knyff to Patrik Walker
(2) c1420 Wynt. iv. 824.
Mony smoryd … Wyth-outyn strak off swerde or knyff
1425 Acts II. 10/2.
All vthir ȝemen … salbe … bowit & schaffit with suerde buklare & knyfe
c1475 Wall. xi. 82.
Na armour had Wallace men … Bot suerd and knyff
a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. xxi. 21.
Thai feirit nother swerd nor knyf
a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS. No. 638.
He is als good a man as handles suord or knyf
(b) a1500 Bk. Chess 1341.
To byd the pane of knyef swerd or fyr
(c) 1594 Lynd. Test. Meldrum 75.
With speir, sheild, sword & knife
(d) 1513 Doug. vi. ii. 142.
Be na strenth thou sai it [a wand] ryve [v.rr. rife, ryffe], Nor kut in twa with wapyn, sword, or knyve [v.rr. knyf(f)e]
1535 Stewart 16974.
Ane bitter bargane thair begouth belyve … with scharpe swordis and lang knyve
plur. (a) 1375 Barb. xi. 591.
Mony speris, dartis & knyvis [: lyvis, E. knyffis] And vapnys
c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxvi. 42.
Sum jaggit vthirs to the heft, With knyvis [M. knyffis] that scherp cowd scheir
1542 Reg. Privy S. II. 735/1.
To Alexander Wicht, cultellar … for … making of his quhinȝearis, knyvis [etc.]
c1568 Lauder Minor P. i. 470.
For thocht ȝe sla nocht pure men with ȝour knyues
(b) 1510 Crim. Trials I. i. 65.
[That] na maner of persoun … beir wapinis except kniffis at thair beltis
(c) 1579 Doug. Pal. Hon. iii. 680.
With speir, with swordis and with kniues [: liues, thriues]

b. A knife worn with a sword or whinger (appar. on the same sheath); a Byknife. 1503 Treas. Acc. II. 230.
For ane scheith to the Kingis armyng suord with knyffis and boytkin
1550 Ib. IX. 408.
For grathing of his graces quhingar, and making of new knyffis to it
1570–1 Lanark B. Rec. 53.
Ane quhinger with tua gilt knyffes quhilkis I gaf him in wed
1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 357.
2 whingers with 3 knyves in one of them

c. Pair (pare) of knyffis, a set of two knives, espec. as carried in one sheath, and normally a woman's possession.On these see C. R. Beard Wedding knives in The Connoisseur LXXXV. (1930) 91–7.(a) 1488 Treas. Acc. I. 83.
Twa kasis of knyffis; Item, a pare of auld knyffis
1501 Ib. II. 45.
For ij pair knyffis to hir vj s.
1506–7 Ib. III. 363.
j pair of knyfes, ane bowat, nedilles, … ane pair scissouris
1550 Ib. IX. 460.
To my Lady Gordoune ane pair of gilt knyffis with ane scheith of veluet, price xxvj s.
1553 Ib. X. 205.
For vj pair of gilt knyffis quhilk Ladye Jene send to gentillwemen of the Courte of France vj li.
1597 Bk. Rates MS. 7.
Knyfis with weluot schethis the pair xx s.
1649 Wemyss Chart. 231.
My beist … gloufs and pair of [MS. and] knifs laying in the kalbinet in my housbands stoudei
(b) 1551 Treas. Acc. X. 39.
For ane paire of knyvis to hir xxiij s.
1572 Canongate Ct. Bk. 394.
xii pair of wemenis knyves ressavit be the said George

d. A carving- or a table-knife.(a) a1500 Seven S. 1537.
Scho said ‘I ȝeid to seike a knyf’
1532 Treas. Acc. VI. 28.
For ane stand of knyfis deliverit to George Hoppringill of the pantre, price l s.
1538 Ib. VII. 87.
For ane cais of knyffis to the Kingis burd all furnist iij li.
1672 Foulis Acc. Bk. .
For sheathes to 5 knyfes and forkes
1694 Inchmahome Pr. 160.
Ane dusson of table knyfs, with silver hefts
(b) 1586 Treas. Acc. MS. 120.
To … [the] maister of the pantrie to by knyiffis to his hienes cower
1600 Ib. 123 b.
Furnissing of knyiffis and forkis in the 1599 ȝeir
(c) 1685 Soc. Ant. LVIII. 366.
In the pantrie … 11 elephant hefted knyves with a fork

3. With various defining terms.Designating uses, types or makes of knife. As in the examples below, and many other combinations, as Braig(knife), Byknife, Hensch-knyfe, Kerving-knyfe, Pen-knife, and chapping-, chopping-, drawing-, dressing-, durk-, flesch-, fleschour-, gully-, hand-, jackteleg-, schaping-, snedding-, stock-, table-knife, q.v. under the first elements.(1) 1493 Acta Conc. 282/2.
A caise with thre barbouris knyffis, twa pare of barbouris syssouris
1535–6 M. Works Acc. (ed.) 191.
For axis [etc.] and cuting kniffis to the Franche gardyner
c 1550 Old Dundee II. 370.
Turning-lumys, hand-saws, eitches, and hand-knyffis
1632 Justiciary Cases I. 204.
Strukin … with ane bregg or flescheour knyfe
1643 Edinb. Test. LX. 233.
Auchteine jacketeleges … elevin vther blak knyfes of that samyn sort
1685-8 Renwick Serm. 301.
A gardener … takes his hedging-knife, and cuts it from the tree
1695 Foulis Acc. Bk. 176.
For a carving knyfe and a gardner knyfe … 1: 4: 0
(2) 1498–9 Acta Conc. II. 297.
A Franch knyffe, the price vj s. viij d.
1574–5 Glasgow B. Rec. I. 35.
Peter Symsoun, fleschour, … fund in the wrong … for … stryking of him witht ane Irland knyfe
1681 Colvil Whig's Suppl. (1751) 26.
He used to take lives With whingers, and Kilmarnock knives
1697 Foulis Acc. Bk. 208.
For 6 Kilmares knyfes, a fork, and caise 3: 0: 0
(3) 1612 Bk. Rates (Halyb.) 317.
Knyves called Almayne Bohemia and other course knyves … fletcher's knyves … carving knyves … Cullane [= Cologne] knyves … Frenche knynes … glovers knyves … pen knyves … stock knyves

4. Attrib. and comb., with block, heft, point and scheith, and in knife-maker. 1565 Reg. Privy C. I. 333.
That na marchand that byis his meit in the marcat turse it hame in his sleif, nor on his knyff point
1600 Treas. Acc. MS. 49 b.
Ane knyff scheith and string thairto
1652 Glasgow B. Rec. II. 217.
To setle with some honest knyfmaker to be brocht to the towne … for taking of twa boyes prenteise
1673 Leith Customs 7.
1 hand knife block
1691 Foulis Acc. Bk. 135.
For a new blade to my wifes knyfe heft 0: 6: 0

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"Knife n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 7 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/knife>

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