Meanings
nounbutterfly knife (plural butterfly knives)
plural butterfly knives
- A folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles.
Synonyms: balisong, Batangas knife
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA folding pocket knife with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles.
Similar
Also see
Origin
Compound of butterfly + knife from the opening motion of the knife.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 蝴蝶刀
- 蝴蝶刀 (húdiédāo)folding pocket knife
Czech motýlek
- motýlekfolding pocket knife
Danish butterflykniv
- butterflyknivfolding pocket knife
Dutch vlindermes
- vlindermesfolding pocket knife
Finnish perhosveitsi
- perhosveitsifolding pocket knife
French balisong
- balisongfolding pocket knife
German Butterflymesser
- Butterflymesserfolding pocket knife
Greek πεταλούδα
- πεταλούδα (petaloúda)folding pocket knife
Japanese バタフライナイフ
- バタフライナイフ (batafurai naifu)folding pocket knife
Korean 버터플라이 나이프
- 버터플라이 나이프 (beoteopeullai naipeu)folding pocket knife
Polish nóż motylkowy
- nóż motylkowyfolding pocket knife
Portuguese faca borboleta, canivete borboleta
- faca borboletafolding pocket knife
- canivete borboletafolding pocket knife
Russian нож-ба́бочка, балисо́нг
- нож-ба́бочка (nož-bábočka)folding pocket knife
- балисо́нг (balisóng)folding pocket knife
Swedish butterflykniv
- butterflyknivfolding pocket knife
Cite this entry
APA
butterfly knife. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/butterfly%20knife
MLA
“butterfly knife.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/butterfly%20knife. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “butterfly knife,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/butterfly%20knife.
Source: butterfly knife on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.