swashbuckler
[ swosh-buhk-ler, swawsh- ]
/ ˈswɒʃˌbʌk lər, ˈswɔʃ- /
noun
a swaggering swordsman, soldier, or adventurer; daredevil.
Nearby words
- swartzite,
- swash,
- swash letter,
- swash plate,
- swashbuckle,
- swashbuckling,
- swashing,
- swashingly,
- swastika,
- swat
Sometimes swash·er.
Origin of swashbuckler
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for swashbuckler
swashbuckler
/ (ˈswɒʃˌbʌklə) /
noun
a swaggering or flamboyant adventurer
a film, book, play, etc, depicting excitement and adventure, esp in a historical setting
Word Origin for swashbuckler
C16: from swash (in the archaic sense: to make the noise of a sword striking a shield) + buckler
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
swashbuckler
1550s, "blustering, swaggering fighting man" (earlier simply swash, 1540s), from swash "fall of a blow" (see swash) + buckler "shield." The original sense seems to have been "one who makes menacing noises by striking his or an opponent's shield."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper