Gladius
/ˈɡlɑː.di.ʊs/noun
A Roman sword, especially the short sword used by legionaries.
Did you know?Gladius is the classic Roman sword, and its name became so tightly linked with cutting power that it helped shape later words for blades and sharpness in Romance-language descendants.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
gladius
“a sword, especially a Roman sidearm”
Proto-Italic
PIE/Italic
*gladiyos
“likely a sword or blade”
Ancient Celtic
Celtic
*kladi-
“a sword or cutting weapon (proposed cognate in some scholarship)”
Medieval Latin
Latin
gladius
“sword; weapon of the Roman type”
Modern English
English
gladius
“the Roman short sword”