Parts of a Knife

Knives are everyday tools. Most people know a little about knife terminology, as all knives have blades and handles. The common kitchen knife has little beyond that. However, even the most mundane knives do have a couple of extra features. These are both named and serve specific purposes.

  1. Identification

    • A knife is a tool that uses a blade, or two inclined planes joined along one edge, to cut through solid matter. As force is applied, it is spread out along the faces of the inclined planes, forcing the object being cut apart. This is a better use of energy than simply pulling the same object apart.

    Function

    • The key element of a knife is its blade. Blades can be either plain or serrated. Serration adds saw teeth to the blade, aiding in certain types of cutting and not requiring much sharpening. The side of the blade used for cutting is called the edge; some knives have double edges. The end of the blade is called the point. If the blade is single-bladed and thicker on the back, this thicker part is called the spine. Spines often have a groove to lighten the overall blade weight. The thick part of the blade where it is joined to the handle is called a ricasso.

    Features

    • The other principal part of the knife is the handle. A plate dividing the handle from the blade and protecting the fingers is called a guard. The bottom of the handle is called a butt; some butts have a ring for attaching a lanyard.

    Types

    • Today, almost all knives are either fixed-blades or folding knives (small folding knives are often called pocket knives). Fixed-blade knives include tiny pen knives and the hunting and combat knives that have hollow cargo compartments in the handle. Folding knives include switch blades. Another type of knife is the sliding knife, where the blade slides back and forth from the handle on a track, rather than moving on a pivot as in a folding knife.

    Misconceptions

    • The groove that is typically present in the spine of large knives is often misidentified as a "blood groove." These grooves, as previously noted, add strength to the blade while making it lighter. They have nothing to do with serving as a gutter for blood.