意式短劍

意式短劍 (意大利語: Stiletto) ^[1]是一種刀身細長、刀尖如針的特殊匕首，通常為三稜錐形，其主要攻擊方式為刺擊^[2]^[3]。

短劍的橫豎兩部分相交處較狹窄，刀身呈漸尖狀，這兩點能減輕刺入時遭遇的摩擦力，使得刀身能刺得更深^[2]^[4]。部分人將短劍視作一種匕首，但絕大多數短劍都是專門的刺擊武器，設計時沒考慮過切割和劈砍功能^[2]^[5]。

起源

意式短劍在中世紀開始聲名鵲起，當時它作為對抗重裝騎士的工具而流行，因為它的薄刀片可以靈活地穿過鏈甲。

此外，短劍是刺客最喜歡的武器之一，因為它是一種易於隱藏的武器，可以藏在袖子裏或斗篷下。

幾個世紀以來，它幾乎總是被認為是一種特別陰險的武器，並且在不同時期，其攜帶和使用自然是被禁止的。^[6]^[7]

[1]
Stiletto (noun). Merriam-Webster.com. 14 January 2024.
[2]
Limburg, Peter R., What's In The Names Of Antique Weapons, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, ISBN 0-698-20233-3, ISBN 9780698202337 (1973), pp. 77-78
[3]
Secret Arms, The Saturday Review, London: Spottiswoode & Co., Vol. 77 No. 2,002 (10 March 1894), pp. 250-251
[4]
Atkins, Anthony G., The Science and Engineering of Cutting: The Mechanics and Processes of Separating, Scratching, and Puncturing Bio-Materials, Metals, and Non-Metals, London: Elsevier Ltd., ISBN 978-0-7506-8531-3 (2009), p. 214
[5]
Cassidy, William L., The Complete Book Of Knife Fighting, ISBN 0-87364-029-2, ISBN 978-0-87364-029-9 (1997), pp. 9-18, 27-36
[6]
Peterson, Harold, Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World, Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-41743-3, ISBN 978-0-486-41743-1 (2002), pp. 16-26
[7]
Ford, Roger, et al., Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor, London: DK Publishing Inc., ISBN 0-7566-2210-7, ISBN 978-0-7566-2210-7 (2006), pp. 69, 131: In the late 1400s new blade shapes were introduced to the rondel dagger, an equilateral triangular cross-section, followed by the appearance of narrow square (cruciform) blades foreshadowing the emergence of the stiletto.