backsword

[ bak-sawrd, -sohrd ]

See synonyms for backsword on Thesaurus.com

noun

a sword with only one sharp edge; broadsword.
(formerly) a cudgel having a basket hilt, used in fencing exhibitions.

a backswordman.

Origin of backsword

First recorded in 1590–1600; back¹ + sword

Words Nearby backsword

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

another name for broadsword
Also called: backswordsman a person who uses the backsword

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

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