sword

See also: Sword and s-word

English

A sword lying beside its scabbard.

The canting arms of Schwerte, Germany, are two swords.

Alternative forms

• swerd (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”). 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

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): [sɔːd]
• (Standard Southern British, MLE) IPA^(key): [soːd]
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): [soːɹd]
• (General American, Scotland) IPA^(key): [sɔɹd]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /so(ː)ɹd/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /soəd/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /swɔːrd/ = sward
• Homophones: soared, (non-rhotic, horse–hoarse merger) sawed
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)d

Noun

sword (plural swords)

1. 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.
   • 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.

2. 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.
3. (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

• Amazon sword
• arming sword
• at half-sword
• backsword
• balisword
• bastard sword
• bearing sword
• broadsword
• broad sword
• cloak-and-sworder
• coin-sword
• court sword
• double-edged sword
• dual-edged sword
• fall on one's sword
• flaming sword
• flesh one's maiden sword
• greatsword
• hunting sword
• long sword
• longsword
• magic sword
• mortuary sword
• Newton's flaming laser sword
• Newton's laser sword
• ninja sword
• ozelot sword
• pork sword
• prop sword
• put to the sword
• rapper sword
• samurai sword
• scutching sword
• sell-sword
• sellsword
• sheathe the sword
• short sword
• shortsword
• silversword
• smallsword
• spellsword
• sward
• swoe
• sword and sandal
• sword-and-sandal
• sword-and-sorcery
• sword and sorcery
• sword arm
• sword bayonet
• swordbearer
• sword-bearer
• sword-bearing
• swordbearing
• swordbelt
• swordbill
• swordboat
• sword-breaker
• swordbrother
• sword cane
• swordcraft
• sword dance
• sword dollar
• sword drill
• sworder
• swordery
• sword fern
• swordfight
• swordfighter
• sword fighting
• swordfish
• sword-flag
• sword grass
• swordgrass
• sword hand
• sword knot
• swordlength
• swordless
• swordlet
• swordlike
• sword lily
• swordmage
• swordmaker
• swordmaking
• swordman
• swordmaster
• sword mat
• swordmistress
• sword of Damocles
• sword of state
• swordography
• swordplay
• swordpoint
• swordproof
• swordslength
• swordsman
• swordsmanship
• swordsmaster
• swordsmistress
• swordsmith
• swordsmithing
• swordsperson
• swordster
• swordstick
• swordstress
• sword-swallower
• sword swallower
• sword swallowing
• swordswoman
• swordtail
• sword verse
• swordwork
• the pen is mightier than the sword
• two-edged sword
• two-hand sword
• two swords

 

Descendants

• → Japanese: ソード

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
• 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
• Classical Syriac: ܣܝܦܐ m (sāyp̄ā)
• 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: ξίφος n (xíphos), φάσγανον n (phásganon), μάχαιρα f (mákhaira) (short), ῥομφαία f (rhomphaía) (long and broad)

• Greenlandic: pana
• Guaraní: kysepuku
• Gujarati: તલવાર (gu) f (talvār), શમશેર f (śamśer)
• Hebrew: חֶרֶב (he) f (ẖérev), 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

• 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)
• 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
• 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
• Lithuanian: kalavijas (lt) m, kardas (lt) m
• Lombard: spada f
• Low German:

  German Low German: Sweerd n

• Lü: please add this translation if you can
• 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: илд (mn) (ild), сэлэм (mn) (selem)
• 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: мечь 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
• Ossetian: кард (kard), цирхъ (cirq)
• Ottoman Turkish: قلج (kılıc), سیف (seyf), شمشیر (şimşir)
• Papiamentu: spada
• Pashto: توره (ps) f (túra)
• Pennsylvania German: Dege m, Schwart n, Schwaert n
• Persian: شمشیر (fa) (šamšir)
• 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: ਤਲਵਾਰ (pa) (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: мач m

  Roman: mač (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
• Sudovian: kalavian
• Swahili: upanga
• Swedish: svärd (sv) n
• Tagalog: tabak
• Tai Dam: ꪒꪱꪚ (đáp)
• Tajik: шамшер (tg) (šamšer)
• Tamil: வாள் (ta) (vāḷ)
• Tatar: кылыч (tt) (qılıç)
• Telugu: కత్తి (te) (katti), కృపాణము (te) (kr̥pāṇamu)
• Thai: ดาบ (th) (dàap)
• Tibetan: དཔའ་དམ། (dpa' dam)
• Tocharian B: apsāl, kertte
• Tok Pisin: bainat, bainet
• Tongan: heleta
• Turkish: kılıç (tr)
• Turkmen: gylyç
• Tuvan: хылыш (xılış)
• Ukrainian: меч (uk) m (meč)
• Urdu: تلوار f (talvār), شمشیر f (šamšer)
• 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
• Yakut: кылыс (kılıs)
• 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)

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)

1. To stab or cut with a sword

Anagrams

• words

Middle English

Alternative forms

• swerd, 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

• IPA^(key): /swɔrd/, /swoːrd/
• (from sweord) IPA^(key): /swɛrd/, /s(w)urd/

Noun

sword (plural swordes or (early) sweorden)

1. sword, sabre
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[1], published c. 1410, Matheu 10:34, page 4v, 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 Earth. I didn't come to bring peace, but a sword.

2. (figuratively) Military might or power.

Descendants

• English: sword
• Scots: swerd, sword

References

• “sword, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-16.

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sword/, [sworˠd]

Noun

sword n (nominative plural sword) (Mercian)

1. Alternative form of sweord