Galician

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Etymology

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15th century. Borrowed from Old French cnivet (little knife), from Proto-Germanic *knībaz (knife),[1] from Proto-Indo-European *gneybʰ- (to pinch).

The meaning "cane","rocket", was transferred from the group cana, canavela, canaveira, "cane".

Pronunciation

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Noun

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canivete m (plural canivetes)

  1. knife, penknife
    • 1409, J. L. Pensado Tomé, editor, Tratado de Albeitaria, Santiago de Compostela: Centro Ramón Piñeiro, page 89:
      Quando as ditas llandoas creçeren asy como Nozes, ou mais ou menos, traua dellas llogo et apretaas et fendeas ao llongo con canyuete agudo
      when these growths become big as nuts, give or take, grab them readily and squeeze them and cut them open lengthwise with a sharp knife
    • 1438, X. Ferro Couselo, editor, A vida e a fala dos devanceiros. Escolma de documentos en galego dos séculos XIII ao XVI., Vigo: Galaxia, page 172:
      e hus canibetes novos
      and some new knives
  2. cane
    1. rocket
    2. (euphemistic, humorous) sexual intercourse

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ Cf. Joan Coromines, José A. Pascual (1983–1991) “cañivete”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

Portuguese

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Etymology

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From to Old French canivet (little knife), from Frankish *knīf (knife), from Proto-Germanic *knībaz (knife), from *knīpaną (to pinch), from Proto-Indo-European *gneybʰ-. Compare French canif.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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canivete m (plural canivetes)

  1. pocketknife, penknife (small razor with one or more blades and other movable and retractable accessories, which fit into the respective handle)
  2. (informal) scalpel (sharp instrument used in surgery)
  3. (informal, figuratively) skinny legs
  4. (zoology) razor shell (Solenidae)

Hypernyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Hunsrik: Kanivett

Further reading

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