Dictionary.com

backsword

[ bak-sawrd, -sohrd ]
/ ˈbækˌsɔrd, -ˌsoʊrd /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"
"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."
Question 1 of 7
IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?
have
be
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of backsword

First recorded in 1590–1600; back1 + sword

Words nearby backsword

backstroke, backstroker, backswept, backswimmer, backswing, backsword, backswordman, back talk, back the wrong horse, back to back, back-to-basics
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to backsword

blade, dagger, saber, ammunition, bomb, cannon, firearm, gun, knife, machete, machine gun, missile, nerve gas, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, sword, tear gas, brand

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
FEEDBACK