Sworder

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who wields a bladed weapon for cutting or thrusting in combat or ceremonial use
2. An individual skilled in using a long, edged metal weapon either for fighting or as part of traditional martial practices
3. Someone who carries or skillfully handles a fighting blade typically employed in dueling or armed conflict scenarios

Etymology: A sworder is about as transparent as English compounds get: the word "sword" with the agent suffix "-er" attached, so it means one who handles a sword. The suffix has a longer pedigree than the noun it sits on. It descends from a Proto-Italic ending that became Latin "-arius", which spread across Western Europe, passed into Old French as "-ier", and reached Middle English as "-er". The Old English "-ere" that also turns up in the family tree shows that the same ending was already at work in English before the Norman influence arrived. The sword itself is the old Germanic word, traced back to Old English "sweord", and it has roots deep enough to reach the Proto-Indo-European ancestors of most European languages. Its combination with the suffix is a plain, transparent formation, and the word's meaning has stayed close to its literal sense: a person skilled in fighting with a sword.

Synonyms: swordsman, fencer, swashbuckler