basket hilt

American  

noun

1. the basketlike hilt of a sword, foil, etc., serving to cover and protect the hand.

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basket hilt British  

noun

1. a hilt fitted to a broadsword, with a generally padded basket-shaped guard to protect the hand

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Other Word Forms

• basket-hilted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of basket hilt

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basket hilt

Jody stood overwhelmed by the thing in Gitano’s hand, a lean and lovely rapier with a golden basket hilt.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck

It was a straight, one-edged blade, with a sharp point, and a brass basket hilt, and he remarked: “Señor Zuroaga, I could hit with that, I guess.”

From Ahead of the Army by Emerson, C. Chase

Whereupon she rose, donned her lord's buff coat and slung his basket hilt at her pretty side.

From The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

The claymore of modern times is a broadsword, double or single-edged, and provided with a basket hilt of form peculiar to Scotland, though the idea was probably derived from Spain.

From Notes and Queries, Number 213, November 26, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Geneologists, etc. by Bell, George

I have found them in my gloves, tied into the basket hilt of my sword--often they are brought to me like ordinary letters by a messenger who waits for an answer.

From In the Palace of the King A Love Story of Old Madrid by Crawford, F. Marion (Francis Marion)