sword, weapon of offense and defense in personal combat, consisting of a blade with a sharp point and one or two cutting edges, set in a hilt with a handle protected by a metal case or cross guard. The sword may have developed from the dagger at the beginning of the Bronze Age. It was not, however, until the more durable iron sword was introduced in the early Iron Age that the sword became an effective weapon. Greek and Roman swords were very short, with pointed ends, and had two cutting edges. Medieval knights used two types of swords: a short sword with a pointed end that was used with one hand and a heavy two-handed sword with a rounded end. During the Middle Ages the best blades were those made by the Arabs in Damascus and Toledo. Swords were widely used in the Middle East and E Asia as well as in Europe. The scimitar, used by the Persians and Arabs, is a curved steel sword. One of the best known of the East Asian swords is the Japanese samurai samurai (sä'm
rī`), knights of feudal Japan, retainers of the daimyo .
..... Click the link for more information. sword, consisting of a curved single-edged tempered steel blade set in a long handle. As a highly personal weapon the sword attained symbolic importance; surrendering one's sword became a token of submission, and the custom of taking an officer's sword away from him and breaking the blade when he was dismissed from the service in disgrace arose because a sword is the mark of an officer and a gentleman. During the Crusades and later, the sword, because of its shape, frequently was used to symbolize the Cross. The sword is now obsolete as a weapon and is carried in some military units for decorative purposes in times of peace. Special types of swords are the rapier, the épée, and the saber. See fencing fencing, sport of dueling with foil, épée, and saber.
The weapons and rules of modern fencing evolved from combat weapons and their usage.
..... Click the link for more information. .
rī`), knights of feudal Japan, retainers of the daimyo ...... Click the link for more information. sword, consisting of a curved single-edged tempered steel blade set in a long handle. As a highly personal weapon the sword attained symbolic importance; surrendering one's sword became a token of submission, and the custom of taking an officer's sword away from him and breaking the blade when he was dismissed from the service in disgrace arose because a sword is the mark of an officer and a gentleman. During the Crusades and later, the sword, because of its shape, frequently was used to symbolize the Cross. The sword is now obsolete as a weapon and is carried in some military units for decorative purposes in times of peace. Special types of swords are the rapier, the épée, and the saber. See fencing fencing, sport of dueling with foil, épée, and saber.
Modern Fencing
The weapons and rules of modern fencing evolved from combat weapons and their usage.
..... Click the link for more information. .
sword
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.
sword
instrument of decapitation of early saints. [Christian Symbolism: Appleton, 14]
See : Martyrdom
Sword
Sycophancy (See FLATTERY.)
AlmaceAngurvadelBalisardaBalmungBarbamouche Climborin’sColada El Cid’sDamocles,Durindana (Durendal)Excalibur Arthur’sFragarachGramGramimondHauteclaireJoyeuseMarmorieMerveilleuseMimungMordureMorglayMurgleysNotungPrecieuseRosseSanglamoreSautuerduSword of JusticeTizonaZulfagar
sabre of Turpin. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
of Frithjof; blazed in war, gleamed dimly in peace. [Norse Myth.: LLEI, I: 323]
made by sorceress for killing Orlando. [Ital. Lit.: Orlando Furioso, Benét, 75]
mighty sword belonging to Siegfried. [Ger. Lit.: Nibelungenlied]
sabre. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
two-hilted, solid gold sword. [Span. Lit.: Song of the Cid]
sword of sword hung by a single hair over his head. [Rom. Lit.: Brewer Handbook, 257]
Orlando’s unbreakable sword. [Ital. Lit.: Morgante Maggiore, Brewer Handbook, 309]
enchanted sword; extracting it from stone won him crown. [Br. Lit.: Le Morte d’Arthur]
the “Answerer”; Lug’s mighty blade could pierce any armor. [Irish Myth.: Leach, 415]
belonged to Sigmund; broken by Odin. [Norse Lit.: Volsung Saga]
Valdabrun’s sabre. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
Oliver’s trusty sabre. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
Charlemagne’s sword; buried with him. [Fr. Lit.: Brewer Dictionary, 594]
Grandoyne’s sabre. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
Doolin of Mayence’s remarkably sharp sword. [Fr. Lit.: Wheeler, 241]
magic sword lent by Wittich to Siegfried. [Norse. Myth.: Wheeler, 244]
Arthur’s all-powerful sword, made by Merlin. [Br. Lit.: Faerie Queene]
Bevis’s sword. [Br. Lit.: Bevis of Hampton]
Ganelon’s sabre. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
Sigmund’s promised sword, found in ash tree; later, Siegfried’s. [Ger. Opera: Wagner, Valkyrie, Westerman, 236]
sabre of the pagan, Baligant. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
Alberich’s gift to Otwit; frighteningly fine-edged. [Norse Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 936]
Braggadocio’s big, bloody glaive. [Br. Lit.: Faerie Queene]
Malquiant’s sabre. [Fr. Lit.: The Song of Roland]
held by the personification of Justice. [Rom. Trad.: Jobes II, 898]
dazzling, golden-hilted sword of the Cid. [Span. Lit.: Song of the Cid]
sword of Ali, Muhammad’s son. [Islamic Legend: Brewer Handbook, 1066]
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