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A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around 15 to 30 cm or 6 to 12 in), a straight double-edged blade of around 80 to 110 cm (31 to 43 in), and weighing approximately 2 to 3 kg (4 lb 7 oz to 6 lb 10 oz).
It is the word for sword in several related languages, such as Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu), Nepali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, etc. and as toloar (talōẏāra) in Bengali. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Like many swords from around the world with an etymology derived from a term meaning simply 'sword', the talwar has in scholarship, and in museum and collector ...
The word khanda has its origins in the Sanskrit khaḍga [3] (खड्ग) or khaṅga, from a root khaṇḍ meaning "to break, divide, cut, destroy". The older word for a bladed weapon, asi, is used in the Rigveda in reference to either an early form of the sword or to a sacrificial knife or dagger to be used in war.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the shorter small sword became an essential fashion accessory in European countries and the New World, though in some places such as the Scottish Highlands large swords as the basket-hilted broadsword were preferred, and most wealthy men and military officers carried one slung from a belt.
There is no indication in Tacitus that they were cavalry. The next mention of spathae is in the 5th century, by Vegetius, now as a weapon carried by infantry. The spatha remained in use in the Byzantine Empire and its army. In the Byzantine court, spatharios (σπαθάριος), or "bearer of the spatha", was a mid-level court title.
He further stated that there were alive in 1817 at least a handful of skilled people who knew how to use "battle swords" ("Schlachtschwerter", another name for either longswords or Zweihänder). [24] Büsching goes on to say that the art was dying out very slowly, mostly due to the fact that there were fewer living fencers who were trained by ...
Historically, katana (刀) were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (日本刀, nihontō) [48] [49] that were used by the samurai of feudal Japan. [50] Modern versions of the katana are sometimes made using non-traditional materials and methods.
Zweihänders that were 4 kg (8.8 lb) in weight or more were confined to parade and ceremonial use. [citation needed] Early Zweihänders were simply larger versions of longswords. Later examples had Parierhaken ("parrying hooks") at the top of the ricasso as well as side rings on the hilt. Swords continued to be made without one or both features ...