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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 knyveplur. (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