Stoccadoes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A thrust or stab made with a sword or similar weapon in fencing contexts
2. A specific type of attack in swordplay that involves a sharp, quick piercing motion
3. An offensive maneuver utilizing a pointed blade to penetrate an opponent's defenses

Etymology: "Stoccadoes" is the plural of "stoccado", a fencing term for a thrust with the sword. The singular came into English from Italian "stoccata", a word for a stab or thrust, which in turn derives from "stocco", a rapier or straight-bladed sword. That is the whole chain the record supports: a blade name in Italy gave rise to a word for the strike made with it. The English form keeps the Italian sense of the action rather than the weapon. In the period when Italian swordsmanship was admired across Europe, English writers borrowed a number of its fencing vocabulary, and "stoccado" belongs to that group. Its plural follows the English habit of adding "-es" to nouns ending in "-o", which is why it appears as "stoccadoes" rather than the Italian plural "stoccate".