sword
NounOpen English WordNet
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Noun long-bladed weapon
- Spanish
- espada
- French
- épée
- German
- Schwert
- Italian
- spada
- Portuguese
- espada
- Turkish
- kılıç
- Russian
- меч meč
- Arabic
- سَيْف sayf
- Chinese
- 剑 jiàn
- Japanese
- 剣 tsurugi
36 more languages
- Dutch
- zwaard
- Polish
- miecz
- Swedish
- svärd
- Greek
- ξίφος xífos
- Korean
- 검 geom
- Indonesian
- pedang
- Vietnamese
- kiếm
- Hungarian
- kard
- Portuguese (PT)
- espada
- Chinese (Trad.)
- 劍 jiàn
- Albanian
- shpatë
- Breton
- klezeñv
- Catalan
- espasa
- Corsican
- spada
- Czech
- meč
- Danish
- sværd
- Esperanto
- glavo
- Estonian
- mõõk
- Finnish
- miekka
- Georgian
- დაშნა dašna
- Hebrew
- חֶרֶב khérev
- Icelandic
- sverð
- Kurdish
- şimşûr
- Latvian
- zobens
- Lithuanian
- kalavijas
- Malagasy
- antsifotsy
- Norwegian
- sverd
- Romanian
- sabie
- Scottish Gaelic
- claidheamh
- Serbo-Croatian
- mač
- Slovak
- meč
- Slovenian
- meč
- Swahili
- upanga
- Walloon
- spêye
- Welsh
- cleddyf
- Yiddish
- שווערד shverd
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. swerd, AS. sweord; akin to OFries. swerd, swird, D. zwaard, OS. swerd, OHG. swert, G. schwert, Icel. sverð, Sw. svärd, Dan. svaerd; of uncertain origin.
1. An offensive weapon, having a long and usually sharp-pointed blade with a cutting edge or edges. It is the general term, including the small sword, rapier, saber, scimiter, and many other varieties.
2. Hence, the emblem of judicial vengeance or punishment, or of authority and power.
He [the ruler] beareth not the sword in vain.— Rom. xiii. 4.
She quits the balance, and resigns the sword.— John Dryden
3. Destruction by the sword, or in battle; war; dissension.
I came not to send peace, but a sword.— Matt. x. 34.
4. The military power of a country.
He hath no more authority over the sword than over the law.— John Milton
5. Weaving One of the end bars by which the lay of a hand loom is suspended.
Sword arm, the right arm. — Sword bayonet, a bayonet shaped somewhat like a sword, and which can be used as a sword. — Sword bearer, one who carries his master's sword; an officer in London who carries a sword before the lord mayor when he goes abroad. — Sword belt, a belt by which a sword is suspended, and borne at the side. — Sword blade, the blade, or cutting part, of a sword. — Sword cane, a cane which conceals the blade of a sword or dagger, as in a sheath. — Sword dance. (a) A dance in which swords are brandished and clashed together by the male dancers. Sir Walter Scott (b) A dance performed over swords laid on the ground, but without touching them. — Sword fight, fencing; a combat or trial of skill with swords; swordplay. — Sword grass. Botany See Gladen. — Sword knot, a ribbon tied to the hilt of a sword. — Sword law, government by the sword, or by force; violence. John Milton — Sword lily. Botany See Gladiolus. — Sword mat Nautical, a mat closely woven of yarns; — so called from a wooden implement used in its manufacture. — Sword shrimp Zoology, a European shrimp (Pasiphaea sivado) having a very thin, compressed body. — Sword stick, a sword cane. — To measure swords with one. See under Measure, transitive verb — To put to the sword. See under Put.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54