sword
A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
s.
The term
sword
A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
used here is a narrow definition. This is not a general
List of premodern combat weapons
This is a list of notable types of weapons that were used in warfare, and more broadly in combat, prior to the advent of the early modern period, i.e., approximately prior to the start of the 16th century. It therefore excludes objects that may b ...
and does not include the
machete
A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...
* Flyssa (19th century Algeria)
* Kaskara (19th century Sudan)
*
Khopesh
The ''khopesh'' ('; also vocalized khepesh) is an Egyptian sickle-shaped sword that developed from battle axes. The sword style originated in Western Asia during the Bronze Age and was introduced in the Second Intermediate Period.Lloyd, Alan B. ...
(Egyptian)
* Mameluke sword (18th to 19th century Egyptian)
* Nimcha (15th to 19th century Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia)
Shotel
A shotel () is a curved sword originating in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. The curve on the blade varies from the Persian shamshir, adopting an almost semicircular shape. The blade is flat and double-edged with a diamond cross-section. The blade ...
(Eritrea and Ethiopian)
Western African swords
* Akrafena (Ghana and Togo)
* Ida (Nigeria and Benin)
* Takoba (Mali and Niger)
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
Changdao
The ''changdao'' ( zh, t=長刀, s=长刀, first=t, p=chángdāo, l=long sword) was a two-handed, single-edged Chinese swords, Chinese sword. The term has been translated as "long saber," "saber-staff," or "long-handled saber." During the Ming ...
Zhanmadao
The ''zhanmadao'' () was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was especially common in Song dynasty, Song China (960–1279).
General characteristics
The ''zhanmadao'' is a ...
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
Bokken
A ''bokken'' (, , 'wood', and ''ken'', '(double-edged) sword') or ''bokutō'' (, , 'wood', and ''tō'', '(single-edged) sword') is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is so ...
Katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
Nagamaki
The is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihontō'') with an extra long handle, used by the samurai class of feudal Japan.Friday 2004, p. 88.
History
It is possible that nagamaki were first produced during the Heian period (794 to ...
Ōdachi
An or is a type of traditionally made used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The Chinese equivalent of this type of sword in terms of weight and length is the '' miaodao'' or the earlier ''zhanmadao'', and the Western battlefield equival ...
Shinai
A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in '' kendō''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendō shinai'', and represented with different characters. ...
Tachi
A is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and '' uchigatana'' ("''katana''") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when she ...
(太刀; たち)
**
Tantō
A is a traditionally made Japanese knife () that was worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate. were used in tradit ...
Wakizashi
The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords ('' nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's ''obi'' or sash at one's side, whereas the larger '' tachi'' sword wa ...
(脇差; わきざし)
**
Naginata
The ''naginata'' (, , ) is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades ('' nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ( ...
(なぎなた)
**
Sai (weapon)
The ''sai'' (Japanese language, Japanese: wiktionary:釵#Japanese, 釵, ; Chinese language, Chinese: wikt:鐵尺, 鐵尺, ) is a pointed melee weapon from Okinawa Island, Okinawa. It was historically utilized in martial arts such as Okinawan kobu ...
Klewang
The klewang or kelewang is a category of traditional single-edged sword that can be found throughout the Malay Archipelago. Usually it is shorter than a ''pedang'' (sword) but longer than a '' golok'' (machete). There are straight bladed types ...
Parang
Parang is a popular folk music originating from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago that was brought to Trinidad and Tobago by Venezuelan migrants who were primarily of Amerindian, Spanish, Mestizo, Pardo, and African heritage, something whic ...
Batangas
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...
Kalis
A kalis (Baybayin: or ; Jawi script: كاليس ;Filipino orthography, Abecedario: ''cáli'', ''cális'') is a type of Philippines, Philippine sword. The kalis has a double-edged blade, which is commonly straight from the tip but wavy near th ...
*
Kampilan
The kampilan (Baybayin: ) is a type of single-edged sword, traditionally used by various Ethnic groups in the Philippines, ethnic groups in the Philippine archipelago. It has a distinct profile, with the tapered Sword#Blade, blade being much broa ...
Pirah
''Pirah'' or ''pira'' is a type of Philippine bolo sword or knife characterized by a heavy blade and a wide tip. It superficially resembles a falchion but is much heavier. It is the traditional weapon favored by the Yakan people of Basilan Island ...
Kirpan
The kirpan (; pronunciation: Help:IPA/Punjabi, ɪɾpaːn is a blade that Khalsa Sikhs are required to wear as part of their religious uniform, as prescribed by the Rehat, Sikh Code of Conduct. Traditionally, the kirpan was a full-sized '' ...
Talwar
The talwar (), also spelled talwaar and tulwar, is a type of curved sword or sabre from the Indian subcontinent.
Etymology and classification
The word ''talwar'' originated from the Sanskrit Language, Sanskrit word ''taravāri'' () which means ...
Khanda
Khanda may refer to:
Places
* Khanda, Sonipat, a large historical village in Sonipat district of Haryana, India
* Khanda, Jind, a village in Jind district of Haryana, India
* Khanda Kheri, a village in Hansi Tehsil of Hisar district of Haryana, ...
Islamic world
The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...
during the 16th to 18th century, including the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
and
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
were influenced by the "
scimitar
A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade of about 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific swor ...
" type of single-edged curved sword. Via the Mameluke sword this also gave rise to the European cavalry
sabre
A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...
.
Terms for the "scimitar" curved sword:
*
Kilij
A kilij (from Turkish language, Turkish ''kılıç'', literally "sword") is a type of one-handed, single-edged and curved scimitar used by the Seljuk dynasty, Seljuk Empire, Timurid Empire, Mamluk Empire, Ottoman Empire, and other Turkic khanat ...
(Turkish)
*
Pulwar
The pulwar or pulouar () is a single-handed curved sword originating in Afghanistan.
Origin
The pulwar originated alongside other scimitar-type weapons such as the Arab Arab sword, saif, the Persian shamshir, the Turkish kilij, and the Indian ta ...
(Afghanistan)
*
Shamshir
A shamshir () is a type of Persian/Iranian sword with a radical curve. The name is derived from the Persian word ''shamshīr'', which is made of two words ''sham'' ("fang") and ''shir'' ("lion"). The curved " scimitar" sword family includes the ...
Khanjar
A khanjar is a traditional dagger originating from the Sultanate of Oman, although it has since spread to the rest of the Middle East, South Asia and the Balkans. Worn by men for ceremonial occasions, it is a short curved blade shaped like t ...
Scimitar
A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade of about 75 to 90 cm (30 to 36 inches) associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific swor ...
(Arabian)
*
Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar or Zulfaqar (, ), also spelled ''Zu al-Faqar'', ''Zulfakar'', ''Dhu al-Faqar'', or ''Dhulfaqar)'', is the sword of Ali, Ali ibn Abi Talib that was distinguished by having a double blade.
Middle Eastern weapons are commonly inscribed wi ...
Falx
The was a weapon with a curved blade that was sharp on the inside edge used by the Thracians and Dacians. The name was later applied to a siege hook used by the Romans.
Etymology
is a Latin word originally meaning 'sickle' but was later used ...
: Dacian and Thracian one-handed or two-handed single-edged curved shortsword for slashing
**
Gladius
''Gladius'' () is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by Ancient Rome, ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. Linguistically, within Latin, the word also came t ...
: Roman one-handed double-edged shortsword for thrusting (primary) and slashing, used by
legionaries
The ancient Rome, Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius''; : ''legionarii'') was a citizen soldier of the Roman army. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Republic and ...
(heavy infantry) and
gladiator
A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
s, and late Roman light infantry. 3rd century BCE Roman Republic – late Roman Empire.
** Kopis: one-handed single-edged sword – blade – with forward-curving blade for slashing
** Makhaira: Greek one-handed, single-edged shortsword or knife for cutting (primary) and thrusting
** Pugio: Roman dagger
** Rhomphaia: Greek single-edged straight or slightly curved broadsword – blade – for slashing (primary) and thrusting
**
Spatha
The spatha was a type of straight and long sword, measuring between , with a handle length of between , in use in the territory of the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries AD. Later swords, from the 7th to 10th centuries, like the Viking ...
: Celtic/Germanic/Roman one-handed double-edged longsword – blade – for thrusting and slashing, used by gladiators, cavalry and heavy infantry. 3rd century BCE Gaul/Germania – Migration Period.
** Xiphos: Greek one-handed, double-edged Iron Age straight shortsword
** Xyele: The short, slightly curved, one-edged sword of the Spartans.Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Xyele /ref>
*
Migration Period sword
The Migration Period sword was a type of sword popular during the Migration Period and the Merovingian period of European history (c. 4th to 7th centuries AD), particularly among the Germanic peoples. It later gave rise to the Carolingian or Vi ...
s
**
Spatha
The spatha was a type of straight and long sword, measuring between , with a handle length of between , in use in the territory of the Roman Empire during the 1st to 6th centuries AD. Later swords, from the 7th to 10th centuries, like the Viking ...
: continuation, evolved into
*** Ring-sword (ring-spatha, ring-hilt spatha), Merovingian period
*** Viking sword or Carolingian sword
** Krefeld type
Post-classical European swords
*
Arming sword
In the European High Middle Ages, the typical sword (sometimes academically categorized as the knightly sword, arming sword, or in full, knightly arming sword) was a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform (i.e., cross-shape ...
Baselard
The baselard, ''Schwiizerdolch'' in Swiss-German (also ''basilard, baslard'', in Middle French also and variants, Medieval Latin, Latinized etc., in Middle High German ) is a historical type of dagger or short sword of the Late Middle Ages.
E ...
Cinquedea
The cinquedea (, ) or cinqueda is a civilian short sword (or long dagger). It was developed in northern Italy and enjoyed a period of popularity during the Italian renaissance of the 15th and early 16th centuries.
The name ''cinquedea'' means "f ...
Curtana
Curtana, also known as the Sword of Mercy, is a ceremonial sword used at the Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of British kings and queens. One of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, its end is blunt and squared to symbolise m ...
: a medieval term for a ceremonial sword
*
Estoc
The French estoc is a type of sword, also called a tuck in English, in use from the 14th to the 17th century. It is characterized by a cruciform hilt with a grip for two-handed use and a straight, edgeless, but sharply pointed blade around in le ...
: thrust-oriented sword
*
Falchion
A falchion (; Old French: ''fauchon''; Latin: ''falx'', "sickle") is a one-handed, backsword, single-edged sword of European origin. Falchions are found in different forms from around the 13th century up to and including the 16th century. In so ...
Longsword
A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...
Rondel dagger
A rondel dagger or roundel dagger is a type of stiff-bladed dagger used in Europe in the late Middle Ages (from the 14th century onwards), used by a variety of people from merchants to knights. It was worn at the waist and could be used as a ...
Seax
A ''seax'' (; also sax, sæx, sex; invariant in plural, latinized ''sachsum'') is a small sword, fighting knife or dagger typical of the Germanic peoples of the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages, especially the Saxons. The name comes f ...
: shortsword, knife or dagger of varying sizes typical of the Germanic peoples of the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages, especially the
Saxons
The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
, whose name derives from the weapon.
*
Small sword
__NoTOC__
The small sword or smallsword (also court sword, Gaelic: or claybeg, French: , lit. “Sword of the court”) is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier (''espada ropera'') o ...
Stiletto
A stiletto (plural stilettos) is a specialized dagger with a long slender blade and needle-like point, primarily intended as a thrusting and stabbing weapon.Limburg, Peter R., ''What's In The Names Of Antique Weapons'', Coward, McCann & Geoghega ...
* Viking sword or Carolingian sword: early medieval spatha
*
Zweihänder
The ''Zweihänder'' (, literally "two-hander"), also ''Doppelhänder'' ("double-hander"), ''Beidhänder'' ("both-hander"), ''Bihänder'', or ''Bidenhänder'', is a large two-handed sword that was used primarily during the 16th century.
''Zwe ...
: 1500–1600 Germany
Modern European swords
*
Basket-hilted sword
The basket-hilted sword is a sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped Hilt#Guard, guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. ...
Cutlass
A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the early Age of ...
*
Dirk
A dirk is a long-bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.); "Dagger", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729. Historically, it gained its name from the Highland dirk (Scott ...
Katzbalger
A () is a short arming sword, used in early modern Europe notable for its sturdy build and a distinctive s-shaped or figure-8 shaped guard. Measuring long and weighing , it was the signature blade of the ''Landsknecht''.
Overview
The is a si ...
*
Sgian-dubh
The ( ; ) – also anglicized as skene-dhu – is a small, single-edged knife () worn as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress. It is now worn tucked into the top of the kilt hose with only the upper portion of the hilt visible. The is n ...
*
Swiss degen
The Swiss ''degen'' (') was a short sword ('':wikt:Degen#Etymology 2, Degen''), an elongated version of the Swiss dagger, with the same double-crescent shape of the Guard (weapon), guard.
It was used as a type of Sidearm (weapon), side arm in the ...
Rapier
A rapier () is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as ' -) and Italy (known as '' spada da lato a striscia''). The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It wa ...
**
Sabre
A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...
Épée
The (, ; ), also rendered as epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains a ...
**
Foil (fencing)
A foil is one of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. It is a flexible sword of total length or under, rectangular in cross section, weighing under , with a blunt tip. As with the épée, points are only scored by making contact with ...
**
Sabre (fencing)
The sabre (US English: ''saber'', both pronounced ) is one of the three disciplines of modern fencing. The sabre weapon is for thrusting and cutting with both the cutting edge and the back of the blade (unlike the other modern fencing weapons, t ...
fascine knives
The fascine knife was a Sidearm (weapon), side arm / tool issued to 17th to 19th century light infantry and artillery. It served both as a personal weapon and as a tool for cutting fascines (bundles of sticks used to strengthen the sides of Tren ...
List of daggers
The following is a list of notable daggers, either historical or modern. A dagger is a knife with a sharp point designed for fighting.
Ancient daggers
* Acinaces
* Bronze Age dagger
* Parazonium
* Pugio
* Sica
European tradition
;High Middle Ages ...
*
List of premodern combat weapons
This is a list of notable types of weapons that were used in warfare, and more broadly in combat, prior to the advent of the early modern period, i.e., approximately prior to the start of the 16th century. It therefore excludes objects that may b ...
*
Lists of swords
Lists of swords:
* List of historical swords
* List of Japanese swords
** List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts: swords)
** List of Wazamono
* List of mythological swords
* List of fictional swords
* List of types of swords
* Classification ...
References
{{Swords by region
Type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* ...
Swords
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
swords
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...