Dirk (knife)
| Dirk (knife) | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | knife |
| Use: | Accessory; still a military weapon in the 18th century |
| Creation time: | 17th century |
| Working time: | until now |
| Region of origin / author: |
Scotland |
| Distribution: | Scotland , Ireland , England |
| Overall length: | approx. 17-53 cm |
| Lists on the subject | |
Dirk comes from the Scottish parlance and describes a long dagger ; sometimes a short blade on a dagger handle as opposed to a knife handle. The spelling dirk comes from the 18th century; In the 17th century it became dork or durk written, possibly a borrowing of Low German Dulk or Dolk .
The Scottish dirk evolved from the late medieval kidney or disc dagger in the course of the 16th and 17th centuries . The traditional form was popular as part of military equipment in the 18th century. The use as an accessory of the formal highland dress with kilt is a development of the 19th century.
In contrast to the Germanized “Dirk”, the English word dirk has another meaning: It also denotes daggers as part of parade uniforms, especially of naval officers. In the USA, the term dirk is used in the so-called knife laws of various states. It usually refers to a double-edged knife, but that too can vary from state to state.
See also
literature
- James D. Forman: The Scottish Dirk. ISBN 0-919316-26-3 .
- The Concise Scots Dictionary. AUP, Aberdeen 1987; P. 166
Web links
- Spotlight: The Scottish Dirk on myArmoury.com (English)
- Synonyms of "Dirk" and "Durg" in Scottish usage.