is a Scots word for a long dagger; sometimes a
cut-down sword blade mounted on a dagger hilt,
rather than a knife blade. The word dirk could have
possibly derived from the Gaelic word sgian
dearg (red knife). It may also have
been a corruption of the Low German words
Dulk or Dolk. The shift from dearg to
dirk is very minimal.
In Bronze Age and Iron Age
Scotland and Ireland, the dirk was actually
considered to be a sword. Its blade length and style
varied, but it is generally 8-14 inches. However the
Irish version often went as long as 21 inches in
blade length.
Dirks were made with either double-edged
or single-edged blades, and there was no standard blade
configuration. Reference books covering naval dirks
invariably show the popularity of both blade types. As a
consequence, historically there were about as many naval
dirks mounting single-edged blades as those with
double-edged blades. Some dirks have single-edged blades
that also have a false edge near the tip, a feature that
could be useful in a back cut.
In medieval Scotland, the dirk was a
backup to the broadsword, and was wielded by the left hand
while the scabbard was carried on the arm. Dirks were used
to swear an oath upon in Celtic cultures. After the Battle
of Culloden, the British government troops were aware that
the Highlanders normally swore on their dirks, so, to
prevent future uprisings or rebellions against the throne,
they made them swear on oath never to "possess any gun,
sword, or pistol, or to use tartan: "... and if I do so may
I be cursed in my undertakings, family and property, may I
be killed in battle as a coward, and lie without burial in a
strange land, far from the graves of my forefathers and
kindred; may all this come across me if I break my oath."
Nearly every Scottish male at the time of the oath had a
dirk. This was because most Scots were too poor to buy a
sword. The dirk was small and was carried everywhere the
owner went. The dirk was worn in plain view suspended from a
belt at the waist.
Another shorter dagger tucked into a coat sleeve or stocking
as part of Highland dress is known as a Sgian Dubh, derived
from the arm pit dagger or sgian achlias. To this day, a
real or false dirk is sometimes worn as a part of
traditional Scottish costume
