History

The word stiletto comes from the Latin word stilus meaning: "a stake; a pointed instrument". The stiletto, also called misericordia (literally "mercy") began to gain fame during the High Middle Ages, when it was the secondary weapon of knights. It was used to discomfit a fallen or severely wounded heavily armoured opponent. The thin blade could easily pass through most mail or find its way through tiny gaps in a knight's plate armour. A severely wounded opponent, who was not expected to survive, would be given a "mercy strike" (French coup de grace), hence the name "misericordia". Later the Gunner's Stiletto became a tool for clearing cannon-fuse touch holes. Used like an automotive oil dip stick, they were often scribed with marks indicating levels of powder charges for ranging distance.

The stiletto was also favored amongst assassins, because it was an easily concealed weapon. This tactic occurred repeatedly, from the Zealots of 1st-century Judaea, to the Venetians and the Assassins of Alamut.Fact: date=January 2009

World War I

World War II

1950s folding knives

Collectors often refer to the handle and cross guard style found on Italian 1950's folding picklock switchblades as a stiletto. The blade options included dagger blades, clip points, bayonet points and wavy Indonesian style kriss blades. Early 1950s stilettos had thick blades in proportion to the height and length, resembling the renaissance knife, making them desirable. Modern production Italian knives of this style tend to have conventional thin flat blades, and are rarely hollow ground.

Colloquial and literary uses

A stiletto may also refer to a switchblade having a blade which telescopes out the front of the handle. A popular folding Switchblade with a tang stamped "Rizzuto Estiletto Milano" is believed to be the initiator of this usage. The word Stiletto was trademarked in the early 20th century for woodworking tools. A stiletto heel is also a type of woman's shoe with a particularly thin high heel.

A stiletto is the weapon of choice used by 'The Needle' in Ken Follett's best seller Eye of the Needle, which tells the story of a German spy in World War II.

See also

• List of daggers
• Misericorde (weapon)