Sabre
/ˈseɪ.bər/noun
A curved sword, especially one used by cavalry.
Did you know?English sabre comes through French and German from a Central/Eastern European word for a cavalry sword, and the same root also gave English a word for a type of fish because of the blade-like shape.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
sabre
“A curved cavalry sword.”
18th Century
French
sabre
“A cavalry sword.”
17th Century
German
Säbel
“A cavalry sword, especially a curved one.”
16th–17th Century
Hungarian
szablya
“A cutting sword or sabre.”
Earlier Slavic source
Slavic
*sablja
“A sword or cutting blade.”
Explore more surprising origins