A mattucashlass is a type of dagger worn concealed in the armpit and primarily used for close combat, part of traditional Scottish male Highland dress.Duane, William A Military Dictionary Philadelphia, 1810 It is also referred to as an armpit dagger or a sleeve dagger in English. In Scots, the alternative name skene-ochil or skene-occles can also be found.
Etymology The term mattucashlass derives from (, meaning "dagger" and "armpit") presumably via the dialectal by-form , which is attested in Shaw's 1788 Galic and English Dictionary.Shaw, William Galic and English Dictionary 1780
It is also known in Gaelic as the ( meaning "knife"), from which the Scots term or is derived.
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