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Knife vs Whittle - What's the difference?

knife | whittle |

As nouns the difference between knife and whittle

is that knife is a utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge, attached to a handle the blade may be pointed for piercing while whittle is a knife; especially, a pocket knife, sheath knife, or clasp knife or whittle can be (archaic) a coarse greyish double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of england, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl.

As verbs the difference between knife and whittle

is that knife is to cut with a knife while whittle is (transitive|or|intransitive) to cut or shape wood with a knife.

knife

English

Noun

(knives)
  • A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge, attached to a handle. The blade may be pointed for piercing.
  • * 2007 , Scott Smith, The Ruins , page 273
  • Jeff was bent low over the backboard, working with the knife , a steady sawing motion, his shirt soaked through with sweat.
  • A weapon designed with the aforementioned specifications intended for slashing and/or stabbing and too short to be called a sword. A dagger.
  • Any blade-like part in a tool or a machine designed for cutting, such as the knives for a chipper.
  • Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    See also

    * athame * bayonet * bistoury * cake slice, cake-slice * dagger * poniard * scalpel * stiletto * (wikipedia "knife")

    Verb

    (knif)
  • To cut with a knife .
  • To use a knife' to injure or kill by stabbing, slashing, or otherwise using the sharp edge of the ' knife as a weapon.
  • To cut through as if with a knife .
  • To betray, especially in the context of a political slate.
  • To positively ignore, especially in order to denigrate. compare cut
  • whittle

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A knife; especially, a pocket knife, sheath knife, or clasp knife.
  • * Dryden
  • A butcher's whittle .
  • * Macaulay
  • Rude whittles .
  • * Betterton
  • He wore a Sheffield whittle in his hose.

    Verb

    (whittl)
  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To cut or shape wood with a knife.
  • To reduce or gradually eliminate something (such as a debt).
  • (figurative) To make eager or excited; to excite with liquor; to inebriate.
  • * Withals
  • When men are well whittled , their tongues run at random.
    Derived terms
    * whittle down * whittling

    Etymology 2

    From an (etyl) word for "white"; akin to an Icelandic word for a white bedcover.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A coarse greyish double blanket worn by countrywomen, in the west of England, over the shoulders, like a cloak or shawl.
  • (Charles Kingsley)
  • (archaic) A whittle shawl; a kind of fine woollen shawl, originally and especially a white one.
  • References

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