Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Bowie knife \Bow"ie knife`\
   A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen inches long,
   and double-edged near the point; -- used as a hunting knife,
   and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the
   United States. It was named from its inventor, Colonel James
   Bowie. Also, by extension, any large sheath knife.

Source : WordNet®

Bowie knife
     n : a stout hunting knife with a single edge