Nearby Words
noun
Idioms1.
a weapon having various forms but consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved blade, sharp-edged on one or both sides, with one end pointed and the other fixed in a hilt or handle.
2.
this weapon as the symbol of military power, punitive justice, authority, etc.: The pen is mightier than the sword.
3.
a cause of death or destruction.
4.
war, combat, slaughter, or violence, especially military force or aggression: to perish by the sword.
5.
(initial capital letter) Military. the code name for one of the five D-Day invasion beaches on France's Normandy coast, assaulted by British forces.
6.
at swords' points, mutually antagonistic or hostile; opposed: Father and son are constantly at swords' point.
7.
cross swords,
a.
to engage in combat; fight.
b.
to disagree violently; argue: The board members crossed swords in the selection of a president.
8.
put to the sword, to slay; execute: The entire population of the town was put to the sword.
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Put to the sword
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English sweord; cognate with Dutch zwaard, German Schwert, Old Norse sverth
before 900; Middle English; Old English sweord; cognate with Dutch zwaard, German Schwert, Old Norse sverth
Related forms
sword·less, adjective
sword·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To put to the sword
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sword
O.E. sweord, from P.Gmc. *swerdan (cf. O.S., O.Fris. swerd, O.N. sverð, Swed. svärd, M.Du. swaert, Du. zwaard, O.H.G. swert, Ger. Schwert), related to O.H.G. sweran "to hurt," from *swertha-, lit. "the cutting weapon," from PIE base *swer- "to cut." Contrast with plowshare is from the O.T. (e.g.
EXPANDIsaiah ii.4, Micah iv.3). Swordfish is first attested c.1400; swordplay is O.E. sweordplege. Phrase put (originally do) to the sword "kill, slaughter" is recorded from 1338.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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