penknives background

penknives

/ˈpɛnˌnaɪvz/

Illustration penknives - Image 1

Illustration penknives - Image 2

noun

Couteaux de poche, canif

Originally a small utility knife for cutting the points of quill feathers or reeds into nibs to provide or repair writing implements in times before pens with artificial nibs, generally metal, became commercially available in the 19th century. Early versions of penknives commonly were small sheath knives.

Examples :

"My grandfather used penknives to sharpen his quill pens for his calligraphy lessons. "

Mon grand-père utilisait des canifs pour tailler ses plumes d'oie pour ses cours de calligraphie.

utility utensil item writing history weapon

Illustration penknives - Image 1

Illustration penknives - Image 2

noun

Couteaux de poche

Examples :

"My grandfather keeps a small collection of penknives in his workshop drawer. "

Mon grand-père conserve une petite collection de couteaux de poche dans le tiroir de son atelier.

utility item utensil device stationery

Illustration penknives - Image 1

Illustration penknives - Image 2

noun

Couteaux de poche

As the need to cut nibs for pens fell away, but small utility pocket-knives remained popular, "penknife" became synonymous with "pocket-knife". Modern penknives often incorporate other tools such as corkscrews, but as a rule are smaller than general-purpose pocketknives.

Examples :

"My grandfather's old penknives were surprisingly useful for many tasks around the house, even though they were smaller than modern ones. "

Les vieux couteaux de poche de mon grand-père étaient étonnamment utiles pour de nombreuses tâches dans la maison, même s'ils étaient plus petits que les modernes.

utility item utensil technology weapon