† curtelace Obs.
Also 6 curtilace, 7 curtelas, -lasse, courtelace, courtlace, courtlas, curtlas.
[A variant of coutelace, 16th c. F. coutelas. It is doubtful whether the r represents an earlier l (coultelas, cf. It. coltellaccio), or arises from phonetic corruption, or popular etymology.]
A kind of short cutting sword; a cutlass.
| 1555 Fardle Facions ii. vii. 160 Thei cary in their warres..a curtilace. 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. i. i. (1641) 86/1 There springs the Shrub 3 foot above the grass, Which fears the keen edge of the Curtelace. 1611 Cotgr., Coutelas, a Cuttelas, courtelas, or short sword. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xv. 46 They sent him a Courtelas of great value. 1677 W. Hubbard Narrative 127 One Davis his Serjeant cut the Bow-string with his Courtlace. |