sword

—swordless, adj. —swordlike, adj.

/sawrd, sohrd/, n.

1. a weapon having various forms but consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved blade, sharp-edged on one or both sides, with one end pointed and the other fixed in a hilt or handle.

2. this weapon as the symbol of military power, punitive justice, authority, etc.: The pen is mightier than the sword.

3. a cause of death or destruction.

4. war, combat, slaughter, or violence, esp. military force or aggression: to perish by the sword.

5. (cap.) Mil. the code name for one of the five D-Day invasion beaches on France's Normandy coast, assaulted by British forces.

6. at swords' points, mutually antagonistic or hostile; opposed: Father and son are constantly at swords' point.

7. cross swords,

a. to engage in combat; fight.

b. to disagree violently; argue: The board members crossed swords in the selection of a president.

8. put to the sword, to slay; execute: The entire population of the town was put to the sword.

[bef. 900; ME; OE sweord; c. D zwaard, G Schwert, ON sverth]

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Hand weapon consisting of a long metal blade fitted with a handle or hilt.

Roman swords had a short, flat blade and a hilt distinct from the blade. Medieval European swords were heavy and equipped with a large hilt and a protective guard, or pommel. The blade was straight, double-edged, and pointed. The introduction of firearms did not eliminate the sword but led to new designs; the discarding of body armour required the swordsman to be able to parry, and the rapier, a double-edged sword with a narrow, pointed blade, came into use. Swords with curved blades were used in India and Persia and were introduced into Europe by the Turks, whose scimitar, with its curved, single-edged blade, was modified in the West to the cavalry sabre. Japanese swords are renowned for their hardness and extreme sharpness; they were the weapon of the samurai. Repeating firearms ended the value of the sword as a military weapon, though its continued use in duels led to the modern sport of fencing. See also kendo.

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▪ weapon

 preeminent hand weapon through a long period of history, consisting of a metal blade varying in length, breadth, and configuration, but longer than a dagger (q.v.), and fitted with a handle or hilt usually equipped with a guard. The sword became differentiated from the dagger during the Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC), when copper and bronze weapons were produced with long, leaf-shaped blades and with hilts consisting of an extension of the blade in handle form. By Roman times the hilt was distinct from the short, flat blade, and by the European Middle Ages the weapon had acquired its main basic forms. The heavy sword of medieval chivalry had a large hilt, often designed to be gripped in both hands, with a large protective guard or pommel at the top. The blade was straight, double-edged, and pointed; it was fabricated by repeated firing and hammering, a process that converted the iron into mild steel by the addition of a small amount of carbon. Blades were also made of laminated strips of iron, which were hammered together. Damascus was a renowned centre of the craft.

      The changes in warfare associated with the introduction of firearms did not eliminate the sword but rather proliferated its types. The discarding of body armour made it necessary for the swordsman to be able to parry with his weapon, and the thrust-and-parry rapier came into use.

      The advantage of a curved blade for cutting was early appreciated in Asia, where it was long used by the Indians, Persians, and others before its introduction to Europe by the Turks. The Turkish scimitar was modified in the West to the cavalry sabre. At the other extreme of Asia, the Japanese developed a long-bladed, slightly curved version with a two-handed grip, with which an elaborate dueling cult, as well as ancestor worship, became associated.

      The introduction of repeating firearms virtually ended the value of the sword as a military weapon, though isolated instances of its use continued in 20th-century wars. As it declined in its military usefulness, the sword gained a new role in the duel, especially in Europe, out of which practice emerged the modern sport of fencing.

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