▪ I. sword, n.
(sɔːd, sɔəd)
Forms: 1–4 sweord, (1 sueord, swurd), 1, 4 (6 Sc.) suord, 1, 6 swyrd, 3–5 (6 Sc.) suerd, 3–6 swerd, (3 swærd, swuerd), 4–6 swerde, sworde, (4 surd, squorde, Ayenb. zuord, 4–5 swerid, swert, 5 sward, swirde, swhirde, squrd, sqwerd, 6 sweard(e, swyrde, swurde, shorde, showrde, swourd, swoord(e, Sc. swrd, sourd), 1, 5– sword.
[OE. sweord str. n. = OS., OFris. swerd, MLG. swert, MDu. swaert (Du. zwaard), OHG., MHG. swert (G. schwert), ON. sverð (Sw. svärd, Da. sverd):—OTeut. *swerdom.]
1. a. A weapon adapted for cutting and thrusting, consisting of a handle or hilt with a cross-guard, and a straight or curved blade with either one or two sharp edges and a sharp point (or sometimes with blunt edges, and used only for thrusting).
Swords are of various shapes and sizes, some with distinctive names, as broadsword, claymore, rapier, sabre, scimitar, etc.; but, without qualification, the word is commonly understood to mean a large weapon such as those used in warfare.
| Beowulf 2638 (Gr.) Helmas and heard sweord. 971 Blickl. Hom. 11 Anra ᵹehwylc hæfde sweord ofer his hype. a 1000 Fight at Finnsburg 17 (Gr.) Sigeferð and Eaha hyra sword ᵹetuᵹon. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 47 Mid swurdum & sahlum. c 1205 Lay. 8908 Þi mon he sæl bi-cumen..& þat ich þe wullen swerien Uppen mine sweorden. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1307 Ysaac..bar ðe wude..And abraham ðe fier and ðe swerd bar. c 1275 Passion of Our Lord 200 in O.E. Misc. 43 Þo iseyh ihesu crist þat peter so dude, Put in, he seyde, þi sweord. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 386 Corineus suerd sone brac, so strong he smote & vaste. a 1300 Cursor M. 15721 (Cott.) Sper and suerd [Gött. surd] and mace þai bring. Ibid. 21710 (Edin.) Mocht na kingis suorde [Fairf. squorde] do mare. 1340 Ayenb. 48 Mid oȝene zuorde man may himzelue sle. c 1386 Chaucer Prol. 112 And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5741 Mony Troiens..Thurgh swap of his sword swaltyn belyue! 1451 Lincoln Diocese Documents 50 A hole harmor of plate & my Swirde. 1534 in W. Kelly Notices Illustr. Drama (1865) 191, I borrowyd a shorde and a bokelar, w{supc}{suph} showrde and bokelar he allmust bothe loste. 1539 Bible (Great) Matt. xxvi. 52 One of them which were wyth Iesus, stretched out his hande, and drue his swearde... Then sayd Iesus vnto hym: put vp thy swearde into hys sheath. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. (1867) 63 The prouerbe saith, he that striketh with the swoorde, Shalbe strikyn with the scaberde. 1600 Breton Pasquil's Fooles-cappe xliii, Hee that..by his side can finely weare his swearde. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. v. i. 191 You drew your sword vpon me without cause. 1782 Cowper Royal George 21 His sword was in the sheath. 1847 Tennyson Princess v. 528 A moment hand to hand, And sword to sword, and horse to horse we hung. 1851 D. Wilson Preh. Ann. (1863) II. iv. x. 511 A fine specimen of the old Scottish two handed sword. |
b. As used on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of honour or authority (
sword of honour,
sword of state, etc.).
| 1429 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 146 The toon was a swerde of mercy, the oothir of astate. 1483 Coron. Rich. III in L. G. W. Legg Eng. Coron. Rec. (1901) 195 Therle of Northumberland..with the Pointless Sword naked in his hand, which signifyed Mercie... Therle of Kent bare y⊇ second sword..with a Point which signifyed Justice to the Temporallitee, The Lord Lovell bare y⊇ third Sword..with a Point which signifyed Justice to the Cleargie... Therle of Surrey bare y⊇ fourth Sword..with a rich scabbard, being called the Sword of Estate. 1556 Chron. Grey Friars (Camden) 81 And he delyveryd hare the swerde, and she toke it to the erle of Arnedelle, and he bare it before hare. 1578 Moysie Mem. (Bannatyne Cl.) 11 The erles of Angus quho buir the croune, the erle of Lennox the septer, and the erle of Mar the suord of honour. 1831 Greville Mem. (1874) II. 137 The tall, grim figure of Lord Grey close beside him with the sword of state in his hand. 1891 A. H. Craufurd Gen. Craufurd 271 To subscribe in order to present this General with a sword of honour. |
c. phr. (
a)
Fencing (see
quot. a 1700). (
b)
sword-in-hand, armed with a sword;
fig. militant.
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Within the Sword, from the Sword to the Right Hand. Without the Sword, all the Man's Body above the Sword. 1838 J. Mitchell Thoughts on Tactics 37 The Russians never ventured, unless when covered by chevaux-de-frise, to await the sword-in-hand onsets of the Turks. 1906 Daily Chron. 23 Aug. 4/6 A typical South American sword-in-hand politician. |
d. A wooden imitation of a sword, used in fencing exercise, etc.; also, the blade of a foil.
| c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 64 The Fort or strong [of a foil], which extends from the part of the hilt next the Sword about a third part of the whole length thereof. 1697 J. Lewis Mem. Dk. Glocester (1789) 9 Accoutred with paper caps, and wooden swords. 1746 Francis tr. Horace, Epist. i. i. 2 note, The Gladiators, in learning their Exercises, played with wooden Swords, called rudes. |
e. pl. One of the four suits in packs of playing-cards used in Italy and in Spanish-speaking countries, and in tarot packs.
Cf. spade n.2| 1816 G. W. Singer Researches into Hist. Playing Cards i. 17 The four suits, Spade, (swords,) Coppe, (cups,) Denari, (money,) and Bastone, (clubs,) adopted both by the Italians and Spaniards, were probably the suits of the Eastern game. 1848 W. A. Chatto Facts & Speculations on Origin & Hist. Playing Cards iv. 191 The earliest writers who mention Tarocchi as a kind of cards, always speak of them as consisting of four suits,—Swords, Cups, Batons, and Money. Ibid. 227 The cards most commonly used in Italy in the latter part of the fifteenth century, were those which had..Swords, Cups, Batons, and Money,—as the marks of the suits. 1892 ‘Papus’ Tarot of Bohemians v. 44 When we consider the four colours of the Tarot, new deductions will be called forth... The Sword represents the union of the two by its crucial form. 1911 A. E. Waite Pictorial Key to Tarot i. iv. 36 We must forbear from saying, for example, that the Conditions of Life correspond to the Trumps Major..and the conditions of life to Swords. 1934 J. D. Carr (title) The eight of swords. 1952 V. Wilkins King Reluctant iii. iii. 230 He..produced two [tarot] cards... ‘The King of Swords and the King of Cups!’ he said. 1978 Jrnl. Playing-Card Soc. Feb. 90 It comprises 52 cards, with suits of Swords, Batons, Cups and Pomegranates. |
2. fig. a. Something that wounds or kills, a cause of death or destruction, a destroying agency; also, something figured as a weapon of attack in spiritual warfare.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 218 [Eph. vi. 17] Nymað þæs ᵹeleafan scyld, and ðæs hihtes helm, and þæs Halᵹan Gastes swurd, þæt is, Godes word. c 1200 Vices & Virtues 91 Nim ðin sweord, ðat is, godes word. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 61 Bute we turnen to gode anradliche, he wile his swerd draȝen, þat is his wrake. 13.. Cursor M. 11371 (Gött.) Þe suord of soru thoru hir hert stod. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 127 Wyntyr that..with his swerd of cold so sore hadde greuyd. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 7983 The Swerd, I mene, of Ryghtwysnesse. 1513 Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 3467 The sharpe swerde of deth..Spared no creature. 1514 Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 90 This violent and contageous suord of pestilence. c 1530 Hickscorner 104 They saye they be smyten with the swerde of poverty. 1539 Bible (Great) Ps. lvii. 4 Whose tethe are speares and arowes, and their tonge a sharpe swerd. 1605 Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 87 This Auarice..hath bin The Sword of our slaine Kings. a 1628 Preston Effectual Faith (1631) 47 Though the Law bee a sword, yet unlesse God take that sword into his hand [etc.]. 1655 Vaughan Silex Scint., Rules & Lessons xii, If thou giv'st words, Dash not with them thy friend, nor Heav'n;..some Syllables are Swords. 1825 Scott Talism. xxiv, You are the leader of our expedition, the sword and buckler of Christendom. 1895 S. Wheeler Ameer Abdur Rahman 66 Sharpening the sword of intention, to speak Asiatically, but not knowing when it might be used. |
b. at the sword's point: under pressure of a threat or an urgent demand;
at swords' points: in a state of open hostility.
Cf. dagger n. 2.
| 1895 A. Beardsley Let. Nov. (1970) 104 The dreadful thing was a blaze up with Lane-cum-Mathews, and a drawing to be produced at the sword's point. 1909 Webster, At swords' points. 1963 M. McCarthy Group x. 214 Mrs Hartshorn and her dead husband had had a running battle over Wilson and the League, and now Priss and Sloan were at swords' points over Roosevelt and socialized medicine. |
3. transf. The use of the sword in warfare, massacre, etc.; hence, slaughter; warfare; military force or power; also, the military profession or class, the army.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. x. 34 Ne wene ᵹe þæt ic come sybbe on eorþan to sendanne, ne com ic sybbe to sendanne ac swurd [Lindisf. suord]. 1382 Wyclif Rom. viii. 35 Who therfore schal departe vs from the charite of God? tribulacioun, or angwisch, or hungur, or nakidnesse, or persecucioun, or perel, or swerd? c 1410 Lanterne of Liȝt viii. 45 Excesse of mete & drink sleeþ many moo þan doiþ þe swerid. c 1520 Skelton Magnyf. 1522 Alerycus, that rulyd the Gothyaunce by swerd. 1549 Compl. Scot. xv. 123 Thai recompens me vitht hungyr, and vitht the sourd. 1559 Mirr. Mag., Dk. Glocester viii, Wasting the Countrey with swurde and with fyer. 1590 Marlowe 2nd Pt. Tamburl. iv. i, See now ye slaues, my children stoops your pride And leads your glories sheep-like to the sword. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. i. i. 41 If I were yong againe, the sword should end it. 1649 Milton Eikon. x. 96 It hath bin oft anough told him, that he hath no more autority over the sword then over the law. 1682 Dryden Medal 306 The Cut-throat Sword and clamorous Gown shall jar. 1724 Ramsay Vision xxiii, I still support my precedens Abune them all for sword and sens. 1766 Gray Kingsgate 21 Purg'd by the sword, and purified by fire. 1823 Scott Quentin D. i, These hireling combatants sold their swords for a time to the best bidder. 1832 Austin Jurispr. (1879) I. vi. 245 This influential portion [sc. the sovereign's counsellors] was formed by the nobility of the sword, the..clergy, and the members of the parliaments. 1839 Lytton Richelieu ii. ii, The pen is mightier than the sword. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. i. I. 141 Anomalies and abuses, which were in strict conformity with the law, and which had been destroyed by the sword. Ibid. vi. II. 16 Some of the exiles offered their swords to William of Orange. |
b. to put († do) to the sword, to kill or slaughter with the sword.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 47 Agode Erle of Warwik was don to þe suerd. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. v. iv. 164 To take His brother..and put him to the sword. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 35 The Turkes..put to sword all that came in their way. 1759 Hume Hist. Eng. Ho. Tudor, Edw. VI, ii. I. 323 De Thermes..took the fortress of Broughty, and put the garrison to the sword. 1891 Hall Caine Scapegoat xvii, A warrant to put every man, woman, and child to the sword. |
c. Contrasted with
ploughshare (in allusion to Isaiah ii. 4 and Micah iv. 3), as types respectively of war and peace: see
ploughshare 1. Esp. in
phr. to beat swords into ploughshares.
| 1924 L. P. Smith S.P.E. Tract xvii. 38 We must take them [sc. words] as they come to our hands; if they are ploughshares which have been beaten into swords, tools which have been made into battle-axes, they are tools nevertheless for which we have no substitutes. 1976 N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone x. 242 You know the old phrase about beating swords into plowshares—well I think you've beaten your grief into a sword. |
4. As the instrument or symbol of penal justice; hence, the authority of a ruler or magistrate to punish offenders; more generally, power of government, executive power, authority, jurisdiction; also, the office of an executive governor or magistrate.
| 1382 Wyclif Rom. xiii. 4 Sothli if thou doist yuel thing, drede thou; for not withoute cause he berith the swerd. 1549 Coverdale, etc. Erasm. Par. Rom. Prol., In the .xiij. he teacheth to honour the worldly and temporall swearde. 1549 Latimer 1st Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 23 Let ye preacher teach, improue, amende, an[d] instructe in rightwesnes, wyth the spyrytuall swearde. 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse Wks. 1904 I. 179 Burgomasters and Gentlemen beare all the swaye of both swords, spiritual and temporall. a 1628 Daborne Poor-man's Comf. v. (1655) H 2, You have felloniously usurpt The sword of Government. 1633 T. Stafford Pac. Hib. i. i. (1821) 4 Upon the taking of our Sword, and chiefe charge of that our Realme of Ireland, as our Deputie. 1634 E. Reynolds Shieldes of Earth (1636) 19 Jurisdiction coercitive, or the power of the Sword. 1650 Hobbes De Corp. Pol. 66 This Power Coercive, or (as men use to call it) the Sword of Justice. 1651 ― Leviath. ii. xvii. 85 Covenants, without the Sword, are but Words. 1673 Essex Papers (Camden) I. 60 A very great part of this ground..has ever..belong'd to y⊇ Sword. 1677 Ibid. II. 124, I should with some regret have parted with ye sword into ye hands of my Lord Conway. 1676 Dryden Aurengz. II. 29 Justice to merit does weak aid afford; She trusts her Ballance, and neglects her Sword. 1769 Blackstone Comm. IV. i. 8 The magistrate..who bears the sword of justice by the consent of the whole community. 1915 Eng. Hist. Rev. Apr. 219 Richemont..had been offered the sword of constable of France. |
5. A material object resembling a sword.
a. One of various mechanical devices in the form of a flat wooden blade, bar, or rod.
| 1530 Palsgr. 278/2 Sworde for a flaxe wyfe, guinche. 1667 in Pettus Fodinæ Reg. (1670) 35 Five Pair of large Smelting Bellows with Beams, Frames, Swords. 1766 Compl. Farmer s.v. Flax, The sword, or upright timber-rod between the treadle and the treadle crank. 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVIII. 835/2 The workman closes it [sc. the woof] by one or two strokes of the lay or batten, of which WB, WB are called the swords. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 32 Every other part is..forced close home to the bolt with a wooden sword. 1863 J. Watson Art of Weaving 149 Swords are these parts of the loom that the lay is fixed to. 1883 Man. Seamanship for Boys 182 A piece of wood made in the shape of a knife, called a sword, is..inserted between the alternate parts of the warp. 1886 J. Barrowman Sc. Mining Terms 66 Sword, a rod connecting a pump bucket with the foot rod. a 1919 Advt., A strong useful Cart, fitted with Wing Boards and Tipping Sword. 1942 R. Davey Measurement of Trees ii. 28 When a tree lies on the ground, there may be some difficulty in passing the tape beneath it. A flat piece of metal with a hook at one end, called a ‘timber sword’ may be used for this purpose. 1953 H. L. Edlin Forester's Handbk. xiv. 213 Find the mid-point of the log, and pass a girthing tape around it; with large logs, the device called the timber-measurer's sword will be of assistance. |
b. The sharp projecting jaw-bone of the swordfish.
| 1641 Symonds Serm. bef. Ho. Comm. D iv, They say there is a fish that hath a sword but no heart. 1681 Grew Musæum i. v. i. 87 The Sword grows in a level, not from the upper but the under Jaw. 1860 Wraxall Life in Sea v. 108 The keel of an East Indiaman was once bored by a twenty-foot Xyphias so violently, that the sword went in up to the roots. |
c. A sword-like ray or flash of light.
| 1866 B. Taylor Poems, Hymn to Air, The Sun's uplifted sword of flame. 1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 93 While swords of vivid light are brandished to and fro on to the hurrying clouds. |
6. attrib. and
Comb. a. Simple
attrib., as
sword-blow,
sword-clash,
sword-edge,
sword-exercise,
sword-fight,
sword-flash,
sword-frog [
frog3 1],
sword-game,
sword-handle,
sword-hanger [
hanger n.2 4 b],
sword-hate,
sword-hilt,
sword-point,
sword-rust,
sword-scabbard,
sword-sheath,
sword-stroke,
sword-sweep,
sword-thrust,
sword-tip,
sword-wound, etc.
b. Instrumental, as
sword-armed,
sword-girded,
sword-girt adjs.;
sword-hunter.
c. Objective, as
sword-maker,
sword-making,
sword-setter;
sword-rusting adj.; similative, etc., as
sword-keen,
sword-like,
sword-shaped adjs.| 1640 J. Gower Ovid's Festiv. iv. 84 But e're the evening doth the sights conclude, *Sword-arm'd Orion in the waves is stew'd. 1898 Rossetti in Ruskin, etc. (1899) 28 The sword-armed angels. |
| 1816 Scott Old Mort. xxxiii, Firearms were discharged and *sword-blows given for upwards of five minutes. |
| 1946 R. Campbell Talking Bronco 45 Amidst the *sword-clash of the reeds. 1969 G. M. Brown Orkney Tapestry 74 It was a long stern battle, hurling of missiles and sword-clash. |
| 1809 Roland (title) The Amateur of Fencing; or a Treatise on the Art of *Sword-Defence. |
| 1852 Bailey Festus (ed. 5) 291 The third one simply smote by the *sword-edge All who dared doubt his darkly chequered tale. |
| 1796 (title) Rules and Regulations for the *Sword Exercise of the Cavalry. |
| 1627 Hakewill Apol. iv. iv. §8. 316 Some they set to fight with beasts, some to fight one with another. These they called Gladiatores swordplayers, & this spectacle, munus gladiatorium, a *sword-fight. 1635 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Banish'd Virg. 150 Where with single sword-fight they ended their quarrell, by dying both. a 1661 B. Holyday Juvenal (1673) 96 Shee's past a blush..That has renounc'd her sex, and, sleighting fears, Admires the sword-fights so. |
| 1647 Hexham, A *sword-fighter, een swaerdt-vechter. |
| 1874 R. Buchanan Poet. Wks. III. 228 Feeble as a maid who hides her face In terror at a *sword-flash. |
| 1868 Regul. & Ord. Army ¶615 The waist-belt with the *Sword-frog supplied with the tools, is to be worn over the belt from which the tools are suspended. |
| 1618 Bolton Florus iii. xx. (1636) 239 To fight..about the funerall fire, as if it would cleere all passed disgrace, if of a sword player, hee become a giver of *sword-games. 1889 R. B. Anderson tr. Rydberg's Teut. Mythol. 216 The souls of warriors who had fallen in battle, and now imitated the sword-games they had played on earth. |
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 44 An armed knyght..*Suerd girded & lance in hand. |
| Ibid. 159 Armed and *suerd girte. a 1593 Marlowe Lucan i. 664 Sword-girt Orions side glisters too bright. 1855 Bailey Mystic, etc. 131 Some crowned and sword-girt conqueror. |
| 1799 Herschel in Phil. Trans. XC. 63 In clear nights..we may see a whitish patch in the *sword-handle of Perseus. 1851 Nichol Archit. Heav. 14 The spot in the Sword-handle of Perseus. |
| 1591 Percivall Sp. Dict., Talabarte, *sword hangers. |
| 1912 E. Pound Ripostes 29 Disease or oldness or *sword-hate Beats out the breath from doom⁓gripped body. |
| 1455 in Meyrick Ant. Armour (1824) II. 144 A Scottysh *swerde hylte and pomell covered with sylver. 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. v. v. 28 Hold thou my Sword Hilts, whilest I runne on it. 1706 Lond. Gaz. No. 4257/4 A Sword Hilt Maker. 1781 Cowper Charity 50 The hand, that slew till it could slay no more, Was glued to the sword-hilt with Indian gore. 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 72 It was..not uncommon for the expiring knight to fix his eyes upon his sword hilt as a lively symbol of his faith. 1865 Kingsley Herew. xxxvi, Hereward swore awfully, and laid his hand on his sword-hilt. |
| 1867 Baker (title) The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia, and the *Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs. |
| 1901 Kipling Kim viii. 209 He caught Mahbub's *sword-keen glance. |
| 1578 J. Jones Preserv. Bodie & Soule i. xl. 87 Launcelike, *swordlike. 1655 Vaughan Silex Scint., Stars iv, A swordlike gleame Kept man for sin First Out. a 1711 Ken Hymns Evang. Poet. Wks. 1721 I. 184 Maternal Pity pierc'd her through and through, Up to the hilt her Sword-like Sorrow flew. 1852 Bailey Festus (ed. 5) 495 A stranger star, Swordlike in shape. |
| 1592 Arden of Feversham v. i. 69 He lyke a foole beares his *sword point halfe a yarde out of danger. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 519 Rather to try the Title by the sword point than by point of Law. 1657 J. Bentham Two Treat. 27 They stand at sword point against sin and transgressions. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xxxix, His sword-point turned to the ground. |
| 1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers 54 Think of it, from the iron fastness Suddenly to dare to come out naked, in perfection of blossom, beyond the *sword-rust. 1930 T. S. Eliot tr. St.-J. Perse's Anabasis 47 In the mirror of our dreams, the *sword-rusting sea. |
| 1758 J. S. Le Dran's Observ. Surg. (1771) 340 Such Wood as they make Bandboxes or *Sword-Scabbards with. |
| 1575–6 in Wodderspoon Mem. Ipswich (1850) 174 Prynters, fyshemongers, *swordsetters. |
| 1776 J. Lee Introd. Bot. Explan. Terms 386 Ensiforme, *sword-shaped, double-edged, gradually lessening from the Base to the Point. 1832 Lindley Introd. Bot. 382 Sword-shaped.., lorate, quite straight, with the point acute. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Sword-sheath, the scabbard or case for a sword. 1891 Conan Doyle White Company xx, In vain were sword-sheaths, apple branches, and belts linked together, thrown out to him by his companions. |
| 1829 Scott Anne of G. vi, [He] stood firm within *sword-stroke of his adversary. 1880 Swinburne Stud. Shaks. 79 Swift alike of speech and sword-stroke. |
| 1808 Scott Marm. vi. xxv, With *sword-sway, and with lance's thrust. |
| 1828 ― F.M. Perth xxxiv, To get within the *sword-sweep of those opposed to them. |
| 1857 G. A. Lawrence Guy Liv. xxv. 243 Guy fairly staggered, as if he had received a *sword-thrust. |
| 1852 Thackeray Esmond i. vi, ‘I have found..only the weapons with which beauty is authorized to kill,’ says he, pointing to a wig with his *sword-tip. |
| 1902 F. E. Hulme Proverb-Lore 114 *Sword-wounds may be healed, word-wounds are beyond healing. |
d. Special
Combs.:
sword-and-buckler a., armed with or using a sword and buckler; pertaining to or performed with sword and buckler;
† fig. bragging, blustering (
obs.); so
sword-and-dagger a.;
sword-arm, the arm with which the sword is wielded, the right arm; also rhetorically
= military power or action, and
fig.;
sword-bayonet, a form of bayonet which may be used as a sword;
sword-belt, a belt by which the sword in its scabbard is suspended;
sword-bill, a South American humming-bird,
Docimastes ensiferus, with a very long bill;
sword-breaker, a device, as a dagger or buckler with a notch or hook, for breaking the blade of an adversary's sword;
sword-cane, a hollow cane or walking-stick containing a steel blade which may be drawn or shot out and used as a sword;
sword-case, a case to hold a sword; in
mod. use, a receptacle at the back of a carriage for swords, sticks, or other articles;
sword-craft, the art of using, or skill in the use of, the sword; military power;
sword-cut, (
a) a cutting stroke or blow dealt with the edge of a sword; (
b) a wound or scar produced by such a stroke;
sword-cutler, a cutler who makes sword-blades or swords; so
sword-cutlery;
† sword dagger, ? a heavy dagger;
sword-dance [
cf. MLG. swertdans, G.
schwertertanz, etc.], a dance in which the performers go through some evolutions with swords, or in which a person dances among naked swords laid on the ground; also
fig.; so
sword-dancer,
-dancing;
sword dollar, name for a Scottish silver coin of James VI, of the value of 30 shillings Scotch (
= 2
s. 6
d. English), with the figure of a sword on the reverse;
† sword-fencer, a gladiator;
sword-flighted a., said of a bird having some of the wing-feathers contrasted in colour with the rest, suggesting a sword carried at the side;
† sword-girdle = sword-belt;
sword-hand, the hand with which the sword is wielded, the right hand;
sword-knot, a ribbon or tassel tied to the hilt of a sword (originating from the thong or lace with which the hilt was fastened to the wrist, but later used chiefly as a mere ornament or badge);
sword-law, government by the power of the sword, or by military force; martial law;
sword-leaved a., having sword-shaped or ensiform leaves;
sword-mat Naut., a piece of matting used to protect parts of the rigging, etc., so called from the wooden ‘sword’ with which the fabric is beaten close in weaving; so
sword-matting;
† sword-minded a., of cruel or sanguinary disposition, bloody-minded;
sword-proof a., proof against the sword; capable of resisting the stroke of a sword;
sword-rattling a. fig., that threatens military action; aggressive, pugnacious; also as
n. = sabre-rattling vbl. n. s.v. sabre n. 4 a;
sword-salve, salve applied to a sword, and supposed to cure the wound inflicted by it (
cf. weapon-salve);
sword-service, military service rendered as a due to the overlord;
sword-side [
cf. OFris. swerdsîda,
MLG. swerdhalve,
-sîde, G.
schwertseite, etc.], the male line in descent (
= spear-side,
spear n.1 10);
sword-smith, a smith who makes swords, a sword-cutler;
sword-stand = sword-case;
sword-star, poetic name for a comet supposed to resemble a sword;
sword-stick = sword-cane;
sword-swallower, one who entertains for money by swallowing or pretending to swallow swords; so
sword-swallowing;
sword-tail, an animal of the group
Xiphosura, comprising only the genus
Limulus; a king-crab; so
sword-tailed a., having a sword-like tail;
sword-taker, one who ‘takes the sword’ (
Matt. xxvi. 52) without authority or right, a lawless killer;
sword-tash, used by Carlyle for
sabre-tash,
sabretache;
sword-whale, the grampus, also called
swordfish;
sword-work = sword-play 1; also
fig.;
† sword-wrack, destruction by the sword. See also
sword-bearer, -blade, etc.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. iii. 230 That same *Sword and Buckler Prince of Wales. 1599 Porter Angry Wom. Abingt. (Percy Soc.) 61, I see by this dearth of good swords that dearth of swoord and buckler fight begins to grow out:..a man, a tall man, and a good sword and buckler man, will be spitted like a cat or a conney. Ibid. 98, I..put on my fellow Dickes sword and buckler voyce and his swounds and sbloud words. a 1635 Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 47 As he lived in a ruffling time, so he loved sword and buckler men. 1646 G. Daniel Essay 23 Wks. (Grosart) I. 80 Nor would I..engage My selfe in Controversie to the Age, With Sword and Buckler Langvage. 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxviii, Our two sword-and-buckler men gave up their contest with as much indifference as they had entered into it. 1860 Fairholt Costume (ed. 2) 228 Sword-and-buckler play formed the usual relaxation of the London apprentices on ordinary occasions [temp. Hen. VIII]. |
| 1821 Scott Kenilw. xii, Any of these *sword-and-dagger men. |
| 1692 Sir W. Hope Fencing-Master (ed. 2) 159 Stand not to an Ordinary Guard, for then he would Disable your *sword Arm. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) IV. 95, I feel a little smart in my sword-arm. 1833 Regul. & Instr. Cavalry i. 133 The ‘Guard’ is continued by moving the sword-arm..to the right. 1838 Lytton Leila ii. i, Methinks our best wisdom lies in the sword-arm. 1895 Sir E. Wood Cavalry Waterloo Campaign iv. 107 His sword-arm being so hacked by sabres as to be practically severed. 1916 Buckle Life Disraeli IV. xiii. 480 Gathorne Hardy, who succeeded to Cairns's place as his ‘sword-arm’ when the fight was fierce in the House of Commons. |
| 1844 Regul. & Ord. Army 94 Rifle, Rammer, and *Sword Bayonet. |
| 1521 Extr. Burgh Rec. Stirling (1887) 13 Item, ane swourd, buklar and *swourd belt, vj s. 1534 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. VI. 184 Ane swerd belt of fresit ledder. 1777 Robertson Hist. Amer. (1783) III. 88 Hunger compelled them..to gnaw the leather of their saddles and sword-belts. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet ch. xiii, He wore a smart hanger and a pair of pistols in a sullied sword-belt. 1861 W. F. Collier Hist. Eng. Lit. 177 His broad sword-belt, supporting a Spanish rapier. |
| 1861 Gould Monogr. Trochilidæ IV. Pl. 233 *Sword⁓bill. |
| 1830 Meyrick & Skelton Illustr. Ant. Arms II. Plate 100 A *sword breaker... The teeth give way in order to receive a blade struck against them, and close over it so that by a slight motion of the wrist it can be broken. |
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. ii. iii. v, Snatch your..*sword-canes, secret arms, and tickets of entry. |
| 1576–7 Registers S. Mary Woolnoth (1886) p. xxiv, To the joyner for mendyng the *sworde case for the Lorde Maior to sett up in the church against the pewe. 1699 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 511 A sword case to hould the King's sword. 1794 W. Felton Carriages (1801) I. 15 The sword-case, so called from its length and convenience for carrying swords or sticks,..is sometimes called a boodge. 1852 Osborne in Times 3 Nov., A neat London-built brougham, with his lordship and the chaplain inside, the episcopal mace in the sword case. |
| 1855 Motley Dutch Rep. Introd. vi. (1866) 17 They learn to tremble as little at priest-craft as at *sword-craft. 1897 ‘H. S. Merriman’ Kedar's Tents xxv. (heading) Sword⁓craft. |
| 1818 Scott Rob Roy xxxv, To have as many *sword⁓cuts made, and pistols flashed at me, as [etc.]. 1859 Tennyson Elaine 258 Seam'd with an ancient swordcut on the cheek. |
| 1678 Lond. Gaz. No. 1363/4 Mr. Job Jeffs, *Sword Cutler under the Greyhound Tavern in the Strand. 1714 Mandeville Fab. Bees (1725) I. 80 Without being themselves guilty of, or accessary to them, any otherwise than by way of Trade, as a Druggist may be to Poysoning, or a Sword-Cutler to Blood-shed. 1833 J. Holland Manuf. Metal II. 74 In France a sword-cutler is still called fourbisseur. |
| 1837 Carlyle Fr. Rev. iii. v. vi, Do not..iron stanchions [transmute themselves] into the white-weapon.., by *sword-cutlery? |
| 1567 in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 109 A very good yew bow and..a *sword dagger. |
| 1604 Marston Malcontent i. iii. B 2 b, Heres a Knight..shall..Doe the *sword daunce with any Morris-dauncer in Christendome. 1712 N. Blundell Diary (1895) 103, I made a Sword Dance against my Marlpit is flower'd. 1814 Scott Diary 7 Aug., in Lockhart, The sword-dance, now almost lost, but still practised in the Island of Papa. 1868 Queen Victoria Life Highl. 14 The piper played, and one of the highlanders danced the Sword dance. 1884 Whittier in Harper's Mag. Jan. 179/1 The midnight sword-dance of the northern sky. |
| 1648 Hexham ii, Een sweerat-dansser, a *Sword-dauncer. 1777 Brand Pop. Antiq. 175 The Fool Plough goes about, a Pageant that consists of a Number of Sword Dancers, dragging a Plough, with Music. 1811 Gentl. Mag. LXXXI. i. 423/2 In the North Riding of Yorkshire... On the feast of St. Stephen..6 youths (called sword-dancers, from their dancing with swords)..begin to travel from village to village, performing a rude dance, called the sword dance. 1897 Q. Rev. Oct. 489 The sword-dancers from Papa. |
| 1648 Hexham ii, Een sweerdt-dans, a *Sword-dauncing with the point upon the palme of ones hands, or teeth. 1712 N. Blundell Diary (1895) 105 We..had Sword Dansing and a Merry-Night in y⊇ Hall and in y⊇ Barne. 1847 Halliwell s.v., There is a very singular custom, called sword-dancing, prevalent in many parts of Northumberland, and in the county of Durham, during the Christmas holidays. |
| 1825 Jamieson, James Ryall, the name of the silver coin of James VI. of Scotland, vulgarly called the *Sword Dollar. |
| 1600 Holland Livy xvi. Argt. 390 Combates of *swordfensors at the sharpe to the utterance. 1615 Crooke Body of Man 355 In the single Combats of Sword-Fencers (called Gladiatores). |
| 1868 Darwin Anim. & Pl. xxvi. II. 349 Pouters properly have white primary wing-feathers, but not rarely a ‘*sword-flighted’ bird, that is, one with the few first primaries dark-coloured, appears. |
| c 1325 Gloss. W. de Bibbesw. in Wright Voc. 165 Ta renge, thi *swerd-girdel. 1523 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 43 It' for ij swerde gyrduls. 1574 tr. Marlorat's Apoc. 22 A swoordgirdle decked with golde [Rev. i. 13] is a souldiorlyke furniture. 1601 Holland Pliny xxxiii. xii. II. 483 Their sword girdles..gingle againe with thin plates of silver. 1647 Hexham i, A sword-girdle, een swaerdt-riem. |
| 1531 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scotl. (1905) VI. 21 To be scalbartis and to bynd *swerd handis to the King, ane alne and half quartar veluett. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 145 Wounding him with a main blow on the elbow of the sword hand. 1705 Collier Ess. Mor. Subj. iii. Pain 26 'Tis like a Wound in the Sword Hand; the Man is disabled in that which should defend him. 1881 Tennyson Charge Heavy Brigade iv, They rode, or they stood at bay—Struck with the sword-hand and slew. |
| 1694 N. H. Ladies Dict. 407/1 (bis) Your Spruce Crevat-strings, *Swords-knots, and the rest of your Finical Dress. 1712–14 Pope Rape Lock i. 101 Where wigs with wigs, with sword-knots sword-knots strive, Beaux banish beaux, and coaches coaches drive. 1802 James Milit. Dict. s.v., All officers belonging to the British army are directed to wear sword-knots of a peculiar colour and make. 1881 Kipling Departm. Ditties, etc. (1899) 68 One sword-knot stolen from the camp. |
| 1667 Milton P.L. xi. 672 So violence Proceeded, and Oppression, and *Sword-Law. 1805 James Milit. Dict. (ed. 2), Sword-law, When a thing is enforced, without a due regard being paid to established rules and regulations, it is said to be carried by sword-law, or by the will of the strongest. 1837 Browning Strafford iv. i, Who bade him break the Parliament, Find some pretext for setting up sword-law! |
| 1807 J. E. Smith Phys. Bot. 368 Mr. Gawler's elucidations of the Ensatæ, *Sword-leaved plants. |
| 1851 H. Melville Moby Dick II. v. 31 Queequeg and I were mildly employed weaving what is called a *sword-mat, for an additional lashing to our boat. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 32 What is the use of a sword mat? To keep the chafes off the lanyards of lower rigging, backstays, &c... Sword mats are usually made with nettle stuff. |
| 1882 Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 126 The furling gaskets..are made of *sword matting. |
| 1603 Florio Montaigne ii. xvi. (1632) 356 Those men *sword-minded can death entertaine. |
| a 1593 Marlowe Edw. II, i. ii, Vnlesse his brest be *sword proofe he shall die. ? a 1625 Webster Appius & Virginia v. iii, My skin is not sword-proof. 1821 Praed Gog i. Poems 1865 I. 96 Sword-proof thenceforth from top to toe. |
| 1914 Bulwark June 84/2 No doubt the Germans will know how to make their Prince acquainted with the unpopularity of his *sword-rattling swagger. 1955 Times 12 May 1 (heading) Afghan ‘sword rattling’. Ibid., I would like to ask my Afghan friends whether they really think such a sword⁓rattling and offensive attitude is going to help them. 1978 Guardian Weekly 29 Jan. 6/3 There are 1,500 British troops in Belize.., as the result of Guatemala's sword⁓rattling last July. |
| 1647 Trapp Comm. 1 Pet. ii. 24 We can hardly believe the power of *sword-salve. |
| 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 182 The [French] King hath nothing of his Noblesse, but *Sword-service. 1892 R. W. Cochran-Patrick Mediæval Scot. i. 6 Strangers in blood to the tribe often joined a sept, and received a portion from the chief, giving in return their sword-service and customary dues. |
| 1854 R. G. Latham Native Races Russian Emp. 189 Sarmatian (as a Scandinavian would say) on the *sword-side. a 1861 Sir F. Palgrave Norm. & Eng. ii. iii. (1864) III. 173 He argued, that he and Duke Robert were of equal rank, by reason of their consanguinity, Sword-side and Spindle-side counter⁓changed. |
| 1872 E. L. Cutts Scenes & Char. Mid. Ages 320 Some *swordsmiths chanted magical verses as they welded them. |
| 1894 Archaeologia LIV. 45 Of the churches in the City to-day, thirty have one *sword-stand each. |
| 1852 Bailey Festus (ed. 5) 520 Once more the blazing *swordstar shewed in Heaven. |
| 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, *Sword-stick, a walking-cane concealing a sharp, rapier-like weapon. 1906 C. N. & A. M. Williamson Car of Destiny xxxviii, The old man had come out of the house with a Toledo sword-stick. |
| 1827 Hone Every-day Bk. II. 1196 He was assisted by a wretched looking female, who was a *sword-swallower. 1901 W. R. H. Trowbridge Lett. her Mother to Eliz. xxxi. 153 The sword-swallower did some amazing things, and smacked his lips, as if the swords tasted nice. |
| 1873 Routledge's Yng. Gentl. Mag. Feb. 137/2 What he told me about his *sword swallowing was even more curious. |
| 1858 Baird Cycl. Nat. Sci., Xiphosura,..*Sword-tails. 1660 *Swordtaker [see sword-bearer d]. |
| 1858 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. viii. ii. (1872) III. 9 He wears his sword, but has no *sword-tash (porte-epee). |
| 1860 Wraxall Life in Sea i. 16 The Grampus, or *Sword-whale..attains a length of twenty-five feet. |
| 1913 Nation 28 June 484/2 Not only has he [sc . Sir John Simon] shown his greatest skill in this *sword-work [etc.]. 1977 P. Scupham Hinterland 58 Boughs come adrift Over the splayed sword-work of spring flowers. |
| 1646 G. H. Hils tr. Casimire's Odes 21 Forbeare cruell men to multiply With fire, *sword-wrack, your single destiny. |
e. In names of plants having sword-shaped leaves or other parts, as
sword aloe (see
quot.);
sword-bean, the genus
Entada, and
Canavalia gladiata, from their large flat pods;
sword-fern, name for several ferns with long narrow fronds, as the genus
Xiphopteris,
Polystichum munitum, native to western North America,
Nephrolepis exaltata and other species, and
Grammitis australis;
sword-flag, the yellow water-flag,
Iris Pseudacorus;
sword-flax, a name for the New Zealand flax,
Phormium tenax;
sword-lily [
cf. Du. zwaardlelie, G.
schwertlilie, etc.], the genus
Gladiolus; in
quot. 1845 applied to some water plant;
sword-rush,
-sedge, an Australian sedge,
Lepidosperma gladiatum;
sword-weed, a name for
Cassia occidentalis, from its sword-shaped pods. See also
sword-grass.
| 1731 Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Aloe, Africana caulescens, foliis minus glaucis caulem amplectentibus, floribus rubris. The *Sword Aloe. |
| 1875 Encycl. Brit. III. 460/2 Beans or pulse, of no small importance as articles of diet, such as the..*sword bean of India. |
| 1829 Loudon Encycl. Plants, Xiphopteris. *Sword-Fern. 1899 E. Cotes Path of Star i. 4 The bunch of sword-ferns..grew beside the door. 1932 J. Steinbeck Pastures of Heaven vi. 126 Swordferns grew rankly under the alders. 1976 Islander (Victoria, B.C.) 4 Jan. 5/1 Most of the park is forest, the damp coastal rain forest of huge sword-ferns and gigantic cedar trees. |
| 1884 Jefferies Life of Fields 56 You must push through the reed grass to find the *sword-flags. |
| 1871 R. H. Hutton Ess. I. 61 The little clover competes successfully even with the phormium tenax, the *sword-flax. |
| 1786 Abercrombie Arr. in Gard. Assist. 73 Gladiolus, *sword-lily, or corn-flag. 1845 Browning Flight of Duchess xiii, Where the bold sword-lily cuts the clear waters. |
| 1875 Melbourne Spectator 21 Aug. 190/1 The wrapping-paper, manufactured from the *Sword-rush growing at Portland. |
| 1877 Von Mueller Bot. Teach. 124 (Morris) Lepidosperma gladiatum, the great *Sword-sedge of our coasts. |
▸
sword-tail n. a small, live-bearing freshwater fish,
Xiphophorus helleri (family
Poeciliidae), of Central America, which is pale green in the wild but bred in many colour varieties in captivity, the male having an elongated lower lobe to the tail fin.
The ‘sword’ that the Greek genus name of the fish refers to is the modified anal fin, not the projection of the tail fin found in
X. helleri: see
quot. 1931.
| [1905 D. S. Jordan Guide Study Fishes II. x. 199 (caption) Sword-tail Minnow, male, Xiphophorus helleri Heckel. The anal fin modified as an intromittent organ.] 1915 Wellsboro (Pa.) Gaz. 2 Sept. 2/6 (heading) One hundred little sword tails born in aquarium. 1931 E. G. Boulenger Fishes xiii. 106 The Swordtails (Xiphophorus) of Mexican rivers are brilliant little fish about five inches long. The male is distinguished by a swordlike elongation of the lower portion of the tail, and a spiky development of the anal fin, which serves as an intromittent pairing organ. 1967 Times 18 Feb. 13/7 Whilst transferring a group of tropical fish from one tank to another I inadvertently and unknowingly dropped a young swordtail fish from the net. 1994 Nature 7 Apr. 494/1 In choice tests, swordtail females prefer males with larger swords. |
▪ II. sword, v. rare.
[f. prec. n.] 1. trans. To equip or arm with a sword. (See also
sworded.)
In
quot. used satirically in reference to the previous speaker's words, and in double sense: see 2.
| a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Little Fr. Lawyer iv. i, Sam. My kingdom for a sword! Cham. I'le sword you presently, I'le claw your skin coat too. |
2. To strike, slash, or kill with a sword. Also
absol. or intr.| 1863 Sala Captain Dangerous III. iv. 144 That confounded Officer that I sworded. 1871 Tennyson Last Tourn. 473 Swording right and left Men, women, on their sodden faces. 1882 Jefferies Bevis I. i. 14 The burdocks and the rest were not high enough yet, the Paynim scoundrels had not grown tall enough..to be slain with any pleasure, and a sense that you were valiantly swording. |
3. trans. (
fig.) To thrust or put forth like a sword.
nonce-use.
| 1827 Clare Sheph. Cal. 53 And mint and flagleaf, swording high Their blooms to the unheeding eye. |
▪ III. sword(e obs. forms of
sward.