Langschwert

German

Etymology

From lang (“long”) +‎ Schwert (“sword”); univerbation of indefinite ein lang Schwert (17th century) to definite das Langschwert by the 1830s. In recent usage (2000s) also of the Renaissance-era two-handed bastard-sword or "longsword".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaŋˌʃveːɐ̯t/
• Hyphenation: Lang‧schwert

Noun

Langschwert n (genitive Langschwertes or Langschwerts, plural Langschwerter)

1. (antiquarian) longsword; any type of long sword, specifically of the Germanic spatha

   1839 Das Langschwert wußt' er riesenhaft zu schwingen ("he [Olaf Tryggvason] could swing the long-sword in the manner of a giant") Adam Oehlenschläger, Der Heilige Olaf.

   1867 Das Langschwert ward an einem Gürtel an der linken Hüfte getragen, das Halbschwert and der rechten, in der Regel mit Ketten am Ringhemd befestigt. ("[in the context of Waltharius, c. AD 920] the long-sword [spatha] was worn on a baldric on the left hip, the half-sword [scramasax] on the right, usually attached to the mail-shirt [hauberk] with chains.") Albert Schulz, Zur Waffenkunde des älteren deutschen Mittelalters, p. 131.

2. (medieval history) as a proper name, calque of the sobriquet of Guillaume Longue Épée (d. 942)