canif

penknife, pocketknife

noun kah-NEEF Rare

Origin: From Old French canivet, from a Germanic root akin to Old Norse knífr (knife).

Usage Note

Canif refers specifically to a small folding knife used for whittling or fine cutting, distinct from a larger couteau (knife). The expression donner un coup de canif dans le contrat means to be unfaithful in a relationship — a playful idiom. Its plural is regular: des canifs.

Examples

"Il taillait son crayon avec un canif."

Natural Translation

He was sharpening his pencil with a penknife.

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