cutlass
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cutlass
1585–95; earlier coutelace < Middle French coutelas, equivalent to coutel knife ( French couteau ) (< Latin cultellus; cultellus ) + -as augmentative suffix; cognate with Italian coltellaccio big knife; curtalax
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Pirates are using a cutlass — think sword — for their celebration.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2023
Dyson was a slight man, all sinew and veins, with a cutlass of a nose and deep-set, watchful eyes.
From Scientific American • Feb. 28, 2020
There are naval chase scenes and booming cannons, and more visual effects than you can shake a cutlass at, including one scene that resembles the parting of the Red Sea in “The Ten Commandments.”
From Washington Post • May 25, 2017
In case you couldn’t tell, the game is pirate-themed, based on our central Assassin hero wielding a cutlass and dual pistols with a black skull-adorned flag behind him.
From Forbes • Feb. 28, 2013
He gestured modestly to the church with his cutlass.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
