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
Neatly sidestepping a cutlass thrust, she cuffed the rat smartly on the point of the nose.
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.
