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
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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."
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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.
