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backsword

[bak-sawrd, -sohrd]
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SEE MORE 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for backsword

pistol, bomb, sword, gun, missile, cannon, rifle, machete, ammunition, firearm, knife, shotgun, revolver, blade, dagger, saber, catapult, spear, bayonet, ax

Examples from the Web for backsword

Historical Examples of backsword

  • 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

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