Difference between short sword and long knife?

I only just saw this thread and I want to comment. Sorry for being late.

I should think that the basic difference is one of intent. What was the thing intended for? If it was intended as a tool, it would be a knife, if it was intended as a weapon it would be a sword. I do have one problem here, however. What is a Bowie knife? I seem to remember that its original intent was as a weapon, after the infamous Natchez Sandbar Fight. Also, original intent would be damned hard to debate with Officer Friendly or a judge.

One other point, please. Adamantium, what was the weapon of the "Night of the Long Knives" in Nazi Germany?
 
Well, after reading all of the comments in this tread over again, the difference between a long knife and a short sword is what the maker desides to call it. Really technicall huh?
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Anyway thanks for the comments.

Sincerely,
Adam
 
I find the traditional Japanese definition to be as useful as anything, simply because it is completely arbitrary as far as I can see. They defined anything over a certain archaic measure to be a sword, or wakizashi, and anything shorter to be a tanto, or large knife. That archaic measure was very close to 12". (This from a post made by Kevin McClung over on www.knifeforums.com). Works for me, since I have never heard a more useful definition.

Harv
 
Hmm. Guess I'll do what I can here to muddify the semantics. I read somewhere, in a knife magazine I believe, that the knife which Jim Bowie used in the infamous sandbar fight was a large butcher knife standard for the time, and that the "Bowie knife" was forged for him after that incident. Cold Steel's Red River division offers a butcher knife based on the old design. You're welcome.
 
How 'bout this?

A short sword can hack, draw-cut and thrust.

A knife, used as a weapon, can only draw-cut and thrust.
Like a Randall #2 Fighting Knife, which looks like a sword, but needs more length and blade-tip moment in order to hack effectively.

By this very arbitrary definition, a Bowie Knife becomes a Bowie Short Sword; a phrase which creates nowhere near the romantic ring that Bowie Knife does.


 
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