Hilt
/hɪlt/noun
The handle of a sword or dagger, especially the part between the blade and the grip.
Did you know?English hilt is ultimately linked to the same Germanic root that appears in words for bending and crooking, showing how weapon parts were named by shape long before they were named by function.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to bend, turn, or curve”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hiltiz
“something bent or curved; a sword hilt”
Old English
English
hilt
“the handle or grip of a sword”
Middle English
English
hilt
“the handle of a sword or dagger”
Modern English
English
hilt
“the handle of a sword or similar weapon”