cutlass
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cutlass
1585–95; earlier coutelace < Middle French coutelas, equivalent to coutel knife ( French couteau ) (< Latin cultellus; see cultellus) + -as augmentative suffix; cognate with Italian coltellaccio big knife; cf. curtalax
Compare meaning
How does cutlass compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A cutlass is a type of saber, a slightly curved sword. Many sailors — and pirates — carried cutlasses on ships during the 17th century. The cutlass was considered a "naval sword" partly because it was extremely useful on board a ship. A sailor or pirate could use a cutlass to cut thick rope and wood, and its size made it safer in tight quarters than a longer sword might be. Although they weren't used much after the 18th century, the cutlass was still an official weapon of the U.S. Navy until 1949. The Latin root means "knife."
Vocabulary lists containing cutlass
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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.
My first build was a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that I named “Simply Beautiful.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025
Daniel Flores, 54 of Echo Park, went in looking for nylon rope to secure a tarpaulin across the top of his Oldsmobile Cutlass, which he parks outside.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2023
“I’ll run five or six nostalgia Pro Stock shows with the Cutlass this year, but it will be a family affair,” Mr. Lawrence said.
From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2022
In my ugly orange Cutlass, I sped 171 miles to his school in Ontario, excited to reunite at 2 a.m.
From Salon • May 1, 2021
Not the pictures of us smiling together on her Cutlass or her cheesing with that GED Jay thought she’d never get.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
