sword

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See also: Sword and s-word

English[edit]

A sword lying beside its scabbard.
The canting arms of Schwerte, Germany, are two swords.

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English sword, swerd, from Old English sweord (sword), from Proto-West Germanic *swerd, from Proto-Germanic *swerdą (sword), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂w- (sharp). Cognate with Scots swuird, swerd, sword (sword), North Frisian swird (sword), West Frisian swurd (sword), Dutch zwaard (sword), Low German Sweerd, Schwert (sword), German Schwert (sword), Danish sværd, Norwegian sverd, Swedish svärd (sword), Icelandic sverð (sword), Old East Slavic свьрдьлъ (svĭrdĭlŭ, drill).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

sword (plural swords)

  1. (weaponry) A long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack.
  2. (card games) A suit in certain playing card decks, particularly those used in Spain and Italy, or those used for divination.
  3. (card games) A card of this suit.
  4. (weaving) One of the end bars by which the lay of a hand loom is suspended.

Coordinate terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • Japanese: ソード

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

sword (third-person singular simple present swords, present participle swording, simple past and past participle sworded)

  1. To stab or cut with a sword

Anagrams[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old English sword, a Mercian form of sweord (which some forms are directly from), from Proto-West Germanic *swerd, from Proto-Germanic *swerdą.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

sword (plural swordes or (early) sweorden)

  1. sword, sabre
  2. (figuratively) Military might or power.

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

Old English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

sword n (nominative plural sword) (Mercian)

  1. Alternative form of sweord