scimitar

English

Alternative forms

• cimeter, cimiter, cymeter (obsolete)
• scimiter
• scimetar

Etymology

First attested in 1548.

From Middle French cimeterre (15c.) or directly from Italian scimitarra, possibly from an unknown Ottoman Turkish word, ultimately from Persian شمشیر (šamšir, “sword”). Doublet of shamshir.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪmɪtɑːɹ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪmɪtə(ɹ)/

• Audio pronunciation:

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmɪtə(ɹ)

Noun

scimitar (plural scimitars)

1. A sword of Persian origin that features a curved blade.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     The Prince of Morocco:
     […] By this scimitar,
     That slew the Sophy and a Persian prince
     That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
     I would outstare the sternest eyes that look,
     Outbrave the heart most daring on earth,
     Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear,
     Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
     To win thee, lady. […]

2. A long-handled billhook.

Derived terms

• scimitar-horned oryx
• scimitar pod

Translations

sword with curved blade

• Arabic: سَيْف (ar) m (sayf)
• Bengali: শমশের (śomośer), তেগ (teg), তলোয়ার (tôloar), তরোয়াল (tôroal)
• Bulgarian: ятаган (bg) m (jatagan)
• Catalan: simitarra (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 彎刀／弯刀 (wāndāo), 弯刀 (wāndāo)

• Czech: turecká šavle m, šavle (cs) m, šimitar m, šamšír m
• Danish: krumsabel
• Dutch: kromsabel
• Finnish: käyräsapeli
• French: cimeterre (fr) m
• Galician: cimitarra (gl) f
• German: Krummsäbel (de) m, Scimitar (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: σαμψήρα f (sampsḗra), ξιφοδρέπανον n (xiphodrépanon)

• Gujarati: શમશેર f (śamśer), સમશેર f (samśer)
• Hindi: शमशेर (hi) f (śamśer), शमशीर (hi) f (śamśīr), समसेर (hi) f (samser), तलवार (hi) f (talvār), तेग (hi) f (teg), सैफ (hi) m (saiph), असि (hi) m (asi), खड्ग (hi) m (khaḍg), खाँड़ा (hi) m (khā̃ṛā), खाड़ा (hi) m (khāṛā), खंडा (hi) m (khaṇḍā), खंग (hi) m (khaṅg), कृपाण (hi) m (kŕpāṇ), करंड (hi) m (karaṇḍ), छुरिका (hi) f (churikā), छुरी (hi) f (churī)
• Hungarian: handzsár (hu)
• Ido: cimitaro (io)
• Irish: simeatár m
• Italian: scimitarra (it)
• Japanese: シミター (shimitā), 弯刀 (わんとう, wantō)
• Korean: 시미타 (simita)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: cymithārra (la) f
• Macedonian: анџар m (andžar), јатаган m (jatagan)
• Maltese: ximitarra f
• Ottoman Turkish: شمشیر (şemşir, şimşir)
• Persian: شمشیر (fa) (šamšir), تیغ (fa) (tiğ), دشنه (fa) (dešne, dašne), پلارک (fa) (palârak)
• Polish: bułat (pl) m
• Portuguese: cimitarra (pt) f
• Russian: сцимита́р m (scimitár), скимита́р m (skimitár), ятага́н (ru) m (jatagán) (yataghan), крива́я са́бля f (krivája sáblja)
• Sanskrit: असि (sa) m (asi)
• Scottish Gaelic: claidheamh crom m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ха̀нџа̄р m

  Roman: hàndžār (sh) m

• Slovene: handžar m
• Spanish: cimitarra (es) f
• Swahili: kitara
• Swedish: kroksabel c
• Tamil: வக்கிரகட்கம் (ta) (vakkirakaṭkam)
• Telugu: ఖడ్గము (te) (khaḍgamu)
• Tulu: ತಲ್ವಾರ್ (talvārŭ)
• Turkish: yatağan (tr) (yataghan)
• Urdu: شمشیر f (śamśer, śamśīr)

See also

• falchion

Verb

scimitar (third-person singular simple present scimitars, present participle scimitaring, simple past and past participle scimitared)

1. (transitive) To strike or slice with, or as if with, a scimitar.

Anagrams

• Ramistic