definitions

backsword

[ bak-sawrd, -sohrd ]
/ ˈbækˌsɔrd, -ˌsoʊrd /
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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.

Nearby words

backstroke, backstroker, backswept, backswimmer, backswing, backsword, backswordman, backtrack, backup, backup light, backward

Origin of backsword

First recorded in 1590–1600; back1 + sword
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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

/ (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