What does breadknife mean?
A breadknife is a kitchen knife distinguished by its long blade and saw-like serrated edge, purpose-built for cutting bread. Where a plain-edged blade tends to compress a soft crumb or skid on a hard crust, the breadknife's teeth grip the surface and slice with a gentle sawing motion, producing clean, even pieces. The tool is equally at home on crusty sourdough, soft sandwich loaves, and delicate items like brioche or sponge cake, and many cooks also reach for it to slice tomatoes. The word is written either as one word ('breadknife') or two ('bread knife'), with the closed spelling especially common in British English. It carries no figurative weight and stays firmly within everyday domestic vocabulary, appearing most often in recipes, product descriptions, and kitchen advice.
nounA kitchen knife with a long, serrated blade designed for slicing bread without crushing it.
- A long-bladed kitchen knife with a serrated edge, used for slicing bread and similar foods.
"She used the breadknife to cut even slices from the still-warm loaf."
"The crust was so tough that only the breadknife could get through it cleanly."
"He packed a plate, a breadknife, and a wedge of cheese for the picnic."
Standard plural, following 'knife' → 'knives'. The two-word spelling pluralizes identically ('bread knives').
"The set included three breadknives of different lengths."
A breadknife doesn't press through a loaf like other knives — its serrated edge saws back and forth, which is why it can slice a crusty baguette flat without flattening it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of breadknife
Breadknife is a straightforward English compound formed from 'bread' — from Old English 'brēad', meaning a piece or morsel of food — and 'knife', from Old Norse 'knífr', which entered English during the Viking Age. The compound arose naturally once serrated blades became standard for home bread-slicing, likely by the nineteenth century, though the exact date of first attestation is not firmly established. It parallels other household compounds such as 'penknife' and 'table-knife', built on the same Norse-derived noun.
How breadknife is actually used
Chiefly British in frequency of use, though understood and used throughout the English-speaking world; American speakers more often say 'bread knife' as two words, but the closed form is standard in British dictionaries. The word is neutral in register and appears mostly in domestic, cookery, and retail contexts.