falchion

See also: Falchion

English

A falchion.

Alternative forms

Variant spellings

• fachon (14th-17th century)
• fachone (14th-17th century)
• fachoun (14th-17th century)
• fauchon (14th-17th century)
• fauchone (14th-17th century)
• fauchoun (14th-17th century)
• fawchon (14th-17th century)
• fawchone (14th-17th century)
• fawchoun (14th-17th century)
• fauschune (15th century)
• fawchun (15th century)
• fawken (15th century, erroneous, conflating falcon)
• fouchon (15th century)
• fwalchon (15th century)
• fachen (16th century)
• falcheon (16th century)
• faucheon (16th-19th century)
• fauchin (16th-17th century)
• fauchine (16th-17th century)
• fauchion (16th-19th century)
• faulcheon (16th-19th century)
• faulchion (16th-19th century)
• fawcheon (16th-19th century)
• fawchin (16th-17th century)
• fawchine (16th-17th century)
• fawchion (16th-19th century)
• falcen (17th century, erroneous, conflating falcon)
• falchon (17th century)
• faulchin (18th century)

Etymology

From Middle English fauchoun, from Old French fauchon (cognate with Italian falcione), from Vulgar Latin *falciōnem, from Latin falx.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fôlʹshən, IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːlʃən/,
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔlt͡ʃən/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈfɑlt͡ʃən/

Noun

falchion (plural falchions)

1. (also attributively) A somewhat curved, single-edged medieval sword of European origin, with the cutting edge on its convex side, whose design is reminiscent of the Persian scimitar and the Chinese dao.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 309:

     I haue seene the day, with my good biting Faulchion

   • 1607, [Barnabe Barnes], The Divils Charter: A Tragædie Conteining the Life and Death of Pope Alexander the Sixt. […], London: Printed by G[eorge] E[ld] for Iohn Wright, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene ii:

     Thy Chamber with Ambroſiall odors breatheth, / New loues and true loues vnto them that entreateth, / And furious Mars made milde his Faulcheon ſheatheth / At thy delicious aſpect: [...]

   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter X, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 242:

     The Jester wore his usual fantastic habit, but late accidents had led him to adopt a good cutting falchion, instead of his wooden sword, with a targe to match it; [...]

2. (obsolete) A billhook.

Derived terms

• case of falchions (swordplay)
• double falchion (swordplay)
• falchioned (armed with a falchion)
• single falchion (swordplay)

Translations

sword

• Dutch: fautsoen
• Finnish: falchion
• French: fauchon (fr) m
• German: Falchion n
• Hungarian: falchion
• Italian: falcione m
• Japanese: ファルシオン (farushion)
• Lithuanian: falčionas
• Polish: tasak (pl) m
• Russian: фальшио́н (falʹšión), фальчио́н (falʹčión)
• Spanish: bracamante

Verb

falchion (third-person singular simple present falchions, present participle falchioning, simple past and past participle falchioned)

1. (obsolete, rare, transitive) Attack with a falchion.

Derived terms

• falchioned (slain by a falchion)