Backsword

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical bladed weapon known for its single sharp edge and typically straight blade which is held with both hands
2. An archaic form of weaponry distinguished by a flat blade that is primarily sharp on one side and designed for two-handed use
3. A type of historical sword characterized by a single-edged, flat blade that is used with both hands for cutting and thrusting

Etymology: A backsword is a sword with a back, meaning a blade sharpened along only one edge, with the other side left blunt and thick. The name is a plain compound of "back" and "sword," and it describes the construction directly rather than borrowing a foreign term. The same logic shows up elsewhere in Germanic languages: German "Rückenklinge" means a single-edged blade, and Swedish "enback," used for the seax and backsword alike, literally means "single-back." The point of the unsharpened spine was practical. A thick back gave the blade strength and weight behind each cut, while the one cutting edge made it easier to control with two hands on the grip. The naming follows the design, so the word tells you what the weapon is made of before you ever see one.