![\"Dirk](\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/blog\/dirk.jpg\")
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I discovered today that dolch<\/strong> is the German equivalent of dirk, the dagger that is worn in the sock in Scottish Highland dress (see photo). The dirk is known as a sgian dubh<\/em> (black knife or secret knife) in Scottish Gaelic, and the word dirk, which first appeared in English as dork in the 17th century, possibly comes from the German word dolch<\/em> (dagger) or dolk<\/em>, which is found in Dutch, Danish and Swedish [source<\/a>].<\/p>\n Another German word for knife is Messer<\/em>, which comes from the Old High German mezzeres\/mezzirahs\/mezzisahs<\/em> (knife), from the Proto-Germanic *matisahs\u0105<\/em> (knife), from *matiz<\/em> (food) and *sahs\u0105<\/em> (knife, dagger). Messer<\/em> is cognate with the Old Saxon metisahs\/mezas<\/em> (knife), the West Frisian m\u00eas<\/em>, the Dutch mes<\/em> (knife), and the Old English word meteseax<\/em> (knife). [source<\/a>].<\/p>\n The Old English word seax<\/em> (knife, short sword, dagger), which appears in meteseax<\/em>, shares the same root – the Proto-Indo-European *sek-<\/em> (to cut) – with the Middle English sax<\/em> (knife); the Danish and Swedish word sax<\/em> (a pair of scissors), the Icelandic sax<\/em> (a short heavy sword), and the Latin word sec\u014d<\/em> (cut), as well as the English words Saxon and saw [source<\/a>].<\/p>\n