Stiletto

A stiletto (plural stilettos^[1]) is a specialized dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, primarily intended as a thrusting and stabbing weapon.^[2]^[3]

The stiletto blade's narrow cross-section and acuminated tip (that is, a tip which tapers to a sharp point) reduce friction upon entry, allowing the blade to penetrate deeply.^[2]^[4] Some consider the stiletto a form of dagger, but most stilettos are specialized thrusting weapons not designed for cutting or slashing, even with edged examples.^[2]^[5]

Over time, the term stiletto has been used as a general descriptive term for a variety of knife blades exhibiting a narrow blade with minimal cutting surfaces and a needle-like point, such as the U.S. V-42 stiletto. In American English usage, the name stiletto can also refer to a switchblade knife with a stiletto- or bayonet-type blade design.^[6] The term may also describe any exaggeratedly thin and pointed feature, such as a stiletto heel.

^ Cite error: The named reference MW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b ^c Limburg, Peter R., What's In The Names Of Antique Weapons, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, ISBN 0-698-20233-3, ISBN 9780698202337 (1973), pp. 77-78
^ Secret Arms, The Saturday Review, London: Spottiswoode & Co., Vol. 77 No. 2,002 (10 March 1894), pp. 250-251
^ Atkins, Anthony G., The Science and Engineering of Cutting: The Mechanics and Processes of Separating, Scratching, and Puncturing Bio-Materials, Metals, and Non-Metals, London: Elsevier Ltd., ISBN 978-0-7506-8531-3 (2009), p. 214
^ Cassidy, William L., The Complete Book Of Knife Fighting, ISBN 0-87364-029-2, ISBN 978-0-87364-029-9 (1997), pp. 9-18, 27-36
^ Zinser, Tim, Fuller, Dan, and Punchard Neal, Switchblades of Italy, Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Co., ISBN 1-56311-933-1 (2003), pp. 5, 8, 69, 85

[MW-1] Cite error: The named reference MW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[LIM-2] Limburg, Peter R., What's In The Names Of Antique Weapons, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, ISBN 0-698-20233-3, ISBN 9780698202337 (1973), pp. 77-78

[3] Secret Arms, The Saturday Review, London: Spottiswoode & Co., Vol. 77 No. 2,002 (10 March 1894), pp. 250-251

[ATK-4] Atkins, Anthony G., The Science and Engineering of Cutting: The Mechanics and Processes of Separating, Scratching, and Puncturing Bio-Materials, Metals, and Non-Metals, London: Elsevier Ltd., ISBN 978-0-7506-8531-3 (2009), p. 214

[5] Cassidy, William L., The Complete Book Of Knife Fighting, ISBN 0-87364-029-2, ISBN 978-0-87364-029-9 (1997), pp. 9-18, 27-36

[ZF-6] Zinser, Tim, Fuller, Dan, and Punchard Neal, Switchblades of Italy, Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing Co., ISBN 1-56311-933-1 (2003), pp. 5, 8, 69, 85

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