Quillon

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɪlən/

Definitions

1. A projection extending from the crossguard of a sword designed to protect the hand during fighting
2. A piece of metal branching out from the sword's guard that helps shield the wielder's hand
3. A guard extension on a blade that prevents an opponent's weapon from sliding down onto the user's hand

Etymology: The guard of a sword is not where you would expect to find a ninepin. Yet the projecting arms of a crossguard, the parts that stop an opponent's blade from sliding down toward your fingers, carry a name borrowed from the game of skittles. French "quillon" literally means "little ninepin," formed from "quille," a club or skittle, with the diminutive suffix "-on" added. The resemblance is simple: a short, thick pin standing upright, much like the bulbous ends of a guard jutting out from a blade. The French word's own ancestry runs back through German. "Quille" descends from Middle High German "kegel," meaning "club," which traces to Old High German "kegil" and ultimately to a Proto-West Germanic word for a pile, pole, or stake. That older sense of a pin or peg stands behind both the game and the weapon part. The sword sense entered English through French, keeping its French form and its diminutive shape, so the ninepin image is still visible inside it.