Sword
/sɔːrd/noun
A weapon with a long metal blade and a hilt, used for cutting or thrusting.
Did you know?The word 'sword' comes from a root meaning 'to cut,' linking it to ancient rituals where blades symbolized the severing of ties between life and death.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*swordo
“a cutting tool or weapon”
Old Germanic
Old English
sweord
“sword or cutting instrument”
Old High German
OHG
swert
“sword, representing a weapon of war”
Old Norse
Old Norse
sverð
“sword, often associated with warriors and battles”
Middle English
Middle English
sworde
“the term for a weapon, used in both literal and symbolic contexts”
Modern English
English
sword
“a weapon associated with nobility and honor, a symbol of power and conflict.”