rapier
Americannoun
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a small sword, especially of the 18th century, having a narrow blade and used for thrusting.
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a longer, heavier sword, especially of the 16th and 17th centuries, having a double-edged blade and used for slashing and thrusting.
noun
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a long narrow two-edged sword with a guarded hilt, used as a thrusting weapon, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries
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a smaller single-edged 18th-century sword, used principally in France
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapier
1545–55; < Middle French ( espee ) rapiere literally, rasping (sword); see rape 3
Compare meaning
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Explanation
A rapier is a sword which has two edges on its narrow blade. In the time of Shakespeare, a rapier was a common weapon — it's even used by some of his characters. A rapier is a particular kind of sword, used mostly for thrusting. Rapiers were especially popular in 16th and 17th century Europe. The long, slender blade of the rapier is lightweight and very sharp, and it usually has an intricate hilt, or handle, to protect the hand of the person wielding it. Because of its blade's characteristic sharpness, rapier is also used as an adjective: if you have a rapier wit, you are quick with the jokes.
Vocabulary lists containing rapier
Othello
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"The Highwayman"
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This record-breaking was anticipated by Forbes' senior contributor Robert Rapier, who wrote earlier this month that the United States had set a new annual oil production record on December 15.
From Salon • Dec. 20, 2023
Whilst at Rootes Hopkirk also took part in circuit racing, winning his class in a Rapier in the touring car race supporting the 1960 British Grand Prix.
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2022
Tom Rapier posted on Twitter that the flight had to land in Madison due to "smoke in cabin" and all the passengers deplaned.
From Fox News • Oct. 24, 2021
“It is about Covid, but it’s also not,” said Ms. Rapier, the mother who left her high-level job for a less demanding one.
From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2021
In pursuance of our appointment, J. T. Rapier and myself, in August, 1879, went to Topeka, Kan., and from there, chiefly by wagon travel, visited different colonies of the immigrants.
From Shadow and Light An Autobiography with Reminiscences of the Last and Present Century by Washington, Booker T.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
