knife,tool orimplement for cutting, theblade being either fixed to the handle or fastened with a hinge so as to clasp into it. Knives form the largest class of cuttingimplements known collectively ascutlery.

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Cutting tools and weapons used for hunting and defense were first made from stones and flint and later ofbronze andiron. The Romans taught the early Britons to work iron, and the Norman invaders are said to have brought with them smiths and metalworkers. Steel-bladed eating knives dating from the Romano-British period have been excavated, but extremely few finemedieval knives with handles ofprecious or semiprecious material have survived; cleaning and grinding wore away the blades. Some of the early knives and weapons became famous for their perfection, among them the skilfully produced Toledo and Damascus blades.

In Europe prior to the 17th century, only in the houses of the wealthy were there enough cutlerysets for knives to be offered to guests. Men typically carried a personal knife in a sheath attached to his belt or in a compartment on hissword scabbard. Women wore theirs attached to thegirdle. In the later 17th century, services of silver cutlery in a house weresufficient to provide for guests. Although individual knives were no longer carried, a service including a knife,fork,spoon, and beaker was indispensable to the traveler and such sets were made until well into the 19th century. The characteristic 18th-centurytable knife has a pistol-shaped handle in which is mounted a curved blade of so-called “scimitar” form. With the modernstainless steel table knife, standard patterns have evolved in which practical needs and durability are the first considerations.

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hand tool: Knife