backsword

[ bak-sawrd, -sohrd ]
See synonyms for backsword on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a sword with only one sharp edge; broadsword.

  2. (formerly) a cudgel having a basket hilt, used in fencing exhibitions.

Origin of backsword

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; back1 + sword

Words Nearby backsword

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use backsword in a sentence

  • My backsword play hath been thought well of by stout men of war.

    Micah Clarke | Arthur Conan Doyle
  • backsword play: the game of single-stick, or fencing with cudgels.

    Tom Brown at Rugby | Thomas Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for backsword

backsword

/ (ˈbækˌsɔːd) /


noun
  1. another name for broadsword

  2. Also called: backswordsman a person who uses the backsword

  1. a fencing stick with a basket-like protective hilt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012