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

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)

Mendoza lifted his sheathed sword and laid his right hand upon the cross-bar of the basket hilt.

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

A broad baldric of green silk hung from his shoulder across his breast, and supported at his side a long sword with an enormous basket hilt, through which somewhat coquettishly peeped a white lace handkerchief.

From The Crusade of the Excelsior by Harte, Bret

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