sword

See also: Sword and s-word

English

Alternative forms

swerd, sweard, swoord, swoorde, sworde (all obsolete)

Etymology

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”).

Cognates

Cognate with North Frisian Swērt, Swiirt, swörd (“sword”), Saterland Frisian Swid, Swäid (“sword”), West Frisian swurd (“sword”), Dutch zwaard (“sword”), German Schwert (“sword”), Luxembourgish Schwäert (“sword”), Vilamovian świert (“sword”), Yiddish שווערד (shverd, “sword”), Danish sværd (“sword”), Faroese svørð (“sword”), Icelandic sverð (“sword”), Norwegian Bokmål sverd (“sword”), Norwegian Nynorsk sverd, svørd (“sword”), Swedish svärd (“sword”); also Bulgarian свре́дел (svrédel, “drill, drill bit”), Czech svider (“drill bit”), Polish świder (“drill”), Russian сверло́ (sverló, “auger, bore, drill, drill bit”), Serbo-Croatian свр̏дло, svȑdlo (“auger”), Slovene sveder (“drill”), Ukrainian све́рдел (svérdel), све́рдло (svérdlo, “drill bit”).

Pronunciation

(General American, Scotland) IPA^(key): [sɔɹd]
- Audio (US): (file)
(Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): [sɔːd]
(Standard Southern British, MLE) IPA^(key): [soːd]
(Ireland) IPA^(key): [soːɹd]
(Indic) IPA^(key): /s(w)o(r)ɖ/, (horse–hoarse merger) /s(w)ɔ(r)ɖ/
(rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /so(ː)ɹd/
(non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /soəd/
(obsolete, African-American Vernacular) IPA^(key): /swɔːrd/ = sward
Homophones: soared, (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) sawed
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)d
(Early Modern)
- IPA^(key): /s(w)ɔːrd/, /s(w)uːrd/, /swɔrd/ (from Old English sword, ancestral to most modern pronunciations)^[1]
- IPA^(key): /swʊrd/ (from Old English swurd)^[2]
- IPA^(key): /swɛrd/, /swɛːrd/ (from Old English swe(o)rd, corresponding to the spelling swerd, sweard)^[3]

Noun

sword (plural swords)

(countable) 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.
He took out his sword and stabbed the man in the stomach.
- c. 1515–1516, John Skelton, Againſt venemous tongues enpoyſoned with ſclaunder and falſe detractions &c., published 1568:
  Malicious tunges, though they have no bones,
  Are ſharper then ſwordes, ſturdier then ſtones.
- c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], line 59:
  Unsheathe your sword and dub him presently.
- 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 49:
  Some swords were also made solely to thrust, and some only to cut; others were equally adapted for both.
A suit in certain playing card decks, particularly those used in Spain and Italy, or those used for divination.
1. A card of this suit.
(weaving) One of the end bars by which the lay of a hand loom is suspended.

Coordinate terms

(weaponry): bayonet, claymore, cutlass, dagger, epee, épée, falchion, foil, katana, knife, machete, rapier, sabre, saber, scimitar, vorpal, yataghan, yatagan

Derived terms

Descendants

→ Japanese: ソード
→ Maori: hoari

Translations

weapon

Abkhaz: аса (asa)
Adyghe: чатэ (čatɛ)
Afrikaans: swaard
Albanian: thikare (sq) f, shpatë (sq) f, pallë (sq) f, shkallmë f
Amharic: ሰይፍ (säyf)
Arabic: سَيْف (ar) m (sayf)
Egyptian Arabic: سيف m (sēf)

Hijazi Arabic: سيف m (sēf)
Aragonese: espata f
Aramaic:
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܣܲܝܦܵܐ (saypā)

Classical Syriac: ܣܝܦܐ m (sāyp̄ā), ܣܝܦܐ (sayfā)

Jewish Aramaic: סַיְפָּא (saypā)
Armenian: թուր (hy) (tʻur), սուր (hy) (sur)
Aromanian: apalã f, spatã f, coardã f, cealãmi f, lipidã f
Assamese: তৰোৱাল (torüal), হেংদাং (heṅdaṅ)
Asturian: espada (ast) f
Avar: кӏалден (kʼalden)
Azerbaijani: qılınc (az)
Balinese: pedang, bérang, kléwang
Baluchi: زہم (zahm)
Bashkir: ҡылыс (qılıs)
Basque: ezpata (eu)
Belarusian: ша́бля f (šáblja), меч m (mječ)
Bengali: তলোয়ার (bn) (tolōẏar), তরোয়াল (bn) (torōẏal), তেগ (bn) (teg), শমশের (bn) (śomośer), ছুরি (bn) (churi), দাও (bn) (daō), দা (bn) (da)
Breton: kleze (br) m, klezeñv m
Bulgarian: меч (bg) m (meč)
Burmese: ဓား (my) (dha:)
Burushaski: please add this translation if you can
Buryat: һэлмэ (helme)
Catalan: espasa (ca) f, glai (ca)
Chakma: 𑄙𑄟 (dhāmā)
Chechen: гӏалакх (ğalaq), тур (tur)
Cherokee: ᎭᏰᎳᏍᏗ ᎦᏅᎯᏓ (hayelasdi ganvhida)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 劍 / 剑 (yue) (gim³)

Eastern Min: 劍 / 剑 (giéng)

Hakka: 劍 / 剑 (kiam)

Hokkien: 劍 / 剑 (kiàm)

Mandarin: 劍 / 剑 (zh) (jiàn), 刀 (zh) (dāo)

Wu: 劍 / 剑 (⁵ci)
Chuukese: ketinas
Classical Nahuatl: tepozmāccuahuitl
Coptic:
Bohairic: ⲥⲏϥⲓ f (sēfi)

Sahidic: ⲥⲏϥⲉ f (sēfe)
Cornish: kledha m
Corsican: spada (co) f
Czech: meč (cs) m
Dalmatian: sputa f
Danish: sværd n
Daur: selmii
Dhivehi: ކަނދި (kaⁿdi)
Dongxiang: baojien
Dutch: zwaard (nl) n
Egyptian:

(mšw)
Elfdalian: swärd
Emilian: please add this translation if you can
Esperanto: glavo (eo)
Estonian: mõõk (et)
Evenki: тутэкэ̄н (tutəkə̄n)
Faroese: svørð n, mæki m (archaic)
Fijian: iseleivau
Finnish: miekka (fi)
French: épée (fr) f, glaive (fr) m
Old French: espee f
Friulian: spade f
Gagauz: kılıç
Galician: espada (gl) f
Georgian: ხმალი (ka) (xmali), დაშნა (ka) (dašna), მახვილი (maxvili), ლახვარი (ka) (laxvari)
German: Schwert (de) n
Alemannic German: Schwärt n
Gothic: 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌿𐍃 m (hairus), 𐌼𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃 m (mēkeis)
Greek: ξίφος (el) n (xífos), σπαθί (el) n (spathí)
Ancient Greek: ξίφος n (xíphos), φάσγανον n (phásganon), μάχαιρα f (mákhaira) (short), ῥομφαία f (rhomphaía) (long and broad)
Greenlandic: pana
Gujarati: તલવાર (gu) f (talvār), શમશેર f (śamśer)
Hebrew: חֶרֶב (he) f (khérev), סַיִף (he) m (sáyif)
Hindi: तलवार (hi) f (talvār), शमशेर (hi) f (śamśer)
Hungarian: kard (hu)
Hunsrik: Schweert n
Icelandic: sverð (is) n
Ido: espado (io)
Indonesian: pedang (id)
Ingrian: meekka
Interlingua: spada, gladio
Iranun: please add this translation if you can
Irish: claíomh m
Old Irish: claideb m
Isoko: ọgbọdọ
Istriot: spada f
Italian: spada (it) f, brando (it) m (poetic), stocco (it) m, gladio (it) m, ghiado m
Japanese: 刀 (ja) (かたな, katana), 剣 (ja) (つるぎ, tsurugi; けん, ken)
Jarai: đao
Javanese: pedhang (jv)
Kaitag: тур (tur)
Kalmyk: селм (selm), үлд (üld), мишл (mişl), чашк (çaşk)
Kannada: ಕತ್ತಿ (kn) (katti)
Karachay-Balkar: къылыч (qılıç)
Karakalpak: qılısh
Kashubian: miecz m
Kazakh: қылыш (qylyş)
Khakas: хылыс (xılıs)
Khmer: ដាវ (km) (daaw)
Komi-Permyak: шыпурт (šypurt)
Korean: 검(劍) (ko) (geom), 칼 (ko) (kal)
Kumyk: къылыч (qılıç)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: شِمشێر (şimşêr), شیر (ckb) (şîr)

Northern Kurdish: şûr (ku) m
Kyrgyz: кылыч (kılıc)
Ladin: please add this translation if you can
Ladino:
Hebrew: איספאדה f

Roman: espada f
Lao: ດາບ (lo) (dāp)
Latgalian: zūbyns
Latin: gladius (la) m, spatha f, ēnsis m, machaera f, mūcrō m, ferrum (la) n
Latvian: zobens m
Ligurian: spâ f
Limburgish: zwerd n
Lingala: mompanga
Lithuanian: kalavijas (lt) m, kardas (lt) m
Lombard: spada f
Low German:
German Low German: Sweerd n
Lü: ᦡᦱᧇ (ḋaab), ᦎᦱᧁ (ṫaaw), ᦶᦟᧁ (laew)
Macedonian: меч m (meč)
Maguindanao: sundang
Malagasy: antsifotsy (mg), sabatra (mg), viarara (mg)
Malay: pedang (ms)
Malayalam: വാള് (ml) (vāḷŭ)
Maltese: sejf m, xabla f
Manchu: ᠯᠣᡥᠣ (loho)
Manx: cliwe m
Maori: hoari
Maranao: koyang, miros, pedang
Marathi: तलवार f (talvār)
Mazanderani: please add this translation if you can
Middle English: sword
Minangkabau: please add this translation if you can
Mon: please add this translation if you can
Mongghul: uldi
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: илд (mn) (ild), сэлэм (mn) (selem)

Mongolian: ᠢᠯᠳᠦ (ildü), ᠰᠡᠯᠡᠮ᠎ᠡ (selem-e)
Nahuatl: tepozmācuahuitl
Nanai: пакан (pakan), лохон (lohon)
Navajo: diltłish
Ngazidja Comorian: upanga class 11/10
Nogai: кылыш (kılış)
North Frisian: swird n, Swērt c (Sylt), Swiirt n (Sylt)
Northern Qiang: hɑː
Northern Thai: ᨯᩣ᩠ᨷ
Norwegian:
Bokmål: sverd (no) n

Nynorsk: sverd n
Occitan: espasa (oc) f
Odia: ଖଡ୍ଗ (khaḍga)
Ojibwe: ashaweshk
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: мечь m (mečĭ)

Glagolitic: ⰿⰵⱍⱐ m (mečĭ)
Old East Slavic: мечь m (mečĭ)
Old English: sweord n, sword (ang) n, bil n, mēċe m, secg m
Old Norse: mækir m, sverð n
Old Ruthenian: мечъ (meč)
Ossetian: кард (kard), цирхъ (cirq)
Ottoman Turkish: قلج (kılıc), سیف (seyf), شمشیر (şimşir)
Pannonian Rusyn: меч m (meč)
Papiamentu: spada
Paraguayan Guarani: ^{(please verify)} kysepuku
Pashto: توره (ps) f (túra)
Pennsylvania German: Dege m, Schwart n, Schwaert n
Persian:
Dari: شَمْشیر (fa) (šamšēr), سَیْف (fa) (sayf)

Iranian Persian: شَمْشیر (fa) (šamšir), سِیْف (fa) (seyf)
Piedmontese: spa f
Plautdietsch: Schweat n, Schwieet n
Pohnpeian: kedlahs
Polabian: varo f
Polish: miecz (pl) m
Portuguese: espada (pt) f, gládio (pt) m
Punjabi:
Gurmukhi: ਤਲਵਾਰ (pa) m (talvār)
Quechua: sawli
Rohingya: kiris
Romagnol: spêda f
Romanian: sabie (ro) f, spadă (ro) f
Romansch: spada f, speda f
Russian: меч (ru) m (meč), шпа́га (ru) f (špága), са́бля (ru) f (sáblja)
Sami:
Kildin Sami: мӣһкь (mīhk’)

Skolt Sami: mieʹǩǩ, meäʹǩǩ
Samogitian: kalavėjs m
Sanskrit: कृपाण (sa) (kṛpāṇa), असि (sa) m (asi), खड्ग (sa) m (khaḍga)
Sardinian: spada f, ispada f
Saterland Frisian: Swäid n
Scottish Gaelic: claidheamh m, slòighre f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ма̏ч m

Roman: mȁč (sh) m
Shan: လႅဝ်း (shn) (léao)
Shona: munondo
Shor: қылыш (qılış)
Sicilian: spata (scn) f
Sinhalese: කඩුව (kaḍuwa)
Slovak: meč m
Slovene: meč (sl) m, sablja (sl) f
Somali: seef f
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: mjac m

Upper Sorbian: mječ m
Southern Altai: кылыш (kïlïš)
Spanish: espada (es) f, tizona (es) f
Sudovian: kalavian
Swahili: upanga class XI
Swedish: svärd (sv) n
Tagalog: tabak
Tai Dam: ꪒꪱꪚ (đáp)
Tajik: шамшер (tg) (šamšer), сайф (sayf)
Tamil: வாள் (ta) (vāḷ)
Tatar: кылыч (tt) (qılıç)
Telugu: కత్తి (te) (katti), కృపాణము (te) (kr̥pāṇamu)
Thai: ดาบ (th) (dàap)
Tibetan: རལ་གྲི (ral gri), དཔའ་དམ། (dpa' dam)
Tigrinya: ሴፍ (ti) (sef)
Tocharian B: apsāl, kertte
Tok Pisin: bainat, bainet
Tongan: heleta
Turkish: kılıç (tr)
Turkmen: gylyç
Tuvan: хылыш (xılış)
Ukrainian: меч (uk) m (meč)
Unami: kitshikàn
Urdu: تَلْوار f (talvār), شَمْشیر f (śamśer), شَمْشِیر f (śamśīr), سَیف f (saif)
Urhobo: abẹrẹn
Uyghur: قىلىچ (qilich), شەمشەر (ug) (shemsher)
Uzbek: qilich (uz), shamshir (uz)
Venetan: spada f
Veps: mek
Vietnamese: gươm (vi), kiếm (vi)
Volapük: gläv (vo)
Võro: myyk
Walloon: spêye (wa) f
Waray-Waray: espada
Welsh: cleddyf (cy) m
West Frisian: swurd n
White Hmong: ntaj
Yaghnobi: шамшер (šamšer)
Yakut: кылыс (kïlïs)
Yiddish: שווערד f (shverd)
Zazaki: şımşêr

one who handles a sword

Bulgarian: мечоно́сец m (mečonósec)
Catalan: espasa (ca) m or f
Finnish: miekkamies (fi)
French: épéiste (fr)
Galician: espadachín m
German: Schwertkämpfer (de), Schwertkämpferin (de) f
Greek: ξιφοφόρος (el) m (xifofóros), ξιφομάχος (el) m (xifomáchos)
Hungarian: kardforgató (hu) (lit. sword-swinger)
Macedonian: мечувалец m (mečuvalec)
Marathi: तलवारबाज m (talvārbāj)
Portuguese: espadachim (pt) m
Russian: мечено́сец (ru) m (mečenósec)
Spanish: espada (es) f, espadachín (es) m

suit in cards

Finnish: miekat (fi) pl
Polish: miecz (pl) m

card of this suit

Finnish: miekka (fi)
Greek: σπαθί (el) n (spathí), σπαθιά (el) pl (spathiá)

Verb

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

(uncommon) To stab or cut with a sword

References

^ Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[1], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 16,18, page 487,490.
^ Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[2], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 74, page 566.
^ Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[3], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 8, page 470.

Anagrams

words

Middle English

Alternative forms

swerd, sweord, sord, sworde, zuord

Etymology

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

(from OE sword) IPA^(key): /swɔrd/, /swoːrd/
(from OE swe(o)rd) IPA^(key): /swɛrd/, /swɛːrd/, /sweːrd/
(from OE swurd) IPA^(key): /s(w)urd/

Noun

sword (plural swordes or (early) sweorden)

sword, sabre
- c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[4], published c. 1410, Matheu 10:34, folio 4, verso, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
  Nile ȝe deme þat I cam to ſende pees in to erþe / I cam not to ſende pees .· but swerd
  Don't feel that I came to bring peace to the Earth. I didn't come to bring peace, but a sword.
(figuratively) Military might or power.

Descendants

English: sword (obsolete swerd, sweard)
Scots: swuird, swurd, swerd

References

“sword, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 16 March 2018.

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sword/, [sworˠd]

Noun

sword n (nominative plural sword) (Mercian)

alternative form of sweord

[1] Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[1], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 16,18, page 487,490.

[2] Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[2], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 74, page 566.

[3] Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700‎^[3], second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 8, page 470.

[1]

[2]

[3]