A stiletto is a short knife or dagger with a long slender blade of various designs. This dagger is primarily a stabbing weapon: its narrow shape, ending in a rigid pointed end, allows it to penetrate deeply. It is not suited for cutting, even with edged examples. A typical early stiletto was a one-piece cast-metal handle and blade, which was then hammer-forged in a V-groove anvil, producing a triangular blade cross section without any sharpened edges. Other examples have round, square, and diamond cross sections. The word stiletto may sometimes be used in American English to refer to a switchblade. Stiletto may also be used specifically for a knife exhibiting the same triangular cross-section and hollow grind as a small sword, rapier, or épée.