Sword

sord, a well known weapon of warfare. It may be defined as a sharp blade of metal, having a hilt at one end, and designed to be used by a swinging motion of the whole arm. As to antiquity, it is believed that the making of swords was one of the first uses to which metals were put. The Assyrians, Greeks, and Gauls were known to have made both straight and leaf-shaped swords of bronze before the art of tempering steel was discovered. The Roman legionary carried a stout, two-edged sword of steel. Some of these swords were made for striking only; others for both cutting and thrusting; but none appear to have provided the grasping hand with an adequate defense. The crosspiece, the basket, and the gauntlet appear to be medieval additions.

The swords of Damascus and Toledo were noted for quality. A Damascene or Toledo blade could be sprung until the point touched the hilt without breaking. Many swords have special names, as the rapier, a long, slender dueling sword, and the broadsword, a heavy blade for a downright stroke. Various peoples had swords of special form or name. The Scottish claymore was carried by the Highlandman; the curved scimitar by the Saracen. The Turk invented the yataghan; the Frenchman, the sword bayonet. The Malay used to sharpen his sword on one side only, giving it a chisel edge.

Down to a late date, the wearing of a sword was the mark of a gentlemen. It is now confined to military circles. Men in the navy carry cutlasses, or short, heavy-backed swords useful at close range. Cavalrymen carry sabres. The machete (ma-sha'ta), a short, strong sword, practically a heavy knife, is popular in Central American countries. Its use shades off from that of a sword into a corn knife. It is well nigh a case of a sword beaten into a pruning hook, for the Cuban cuts cane with it and the Nicaraguan cuts off his bunches of bananas with a machete.