Word.ws English Dictionary

backsword

backsword noun: a sword with one sharp edge, especially full length such, where shorter such are called broadsword and thereof.

Noun

backsword (plural backswords)

  1. A sword with one sharp edge, especially full length such, where shorter such are called broadsword and thereof.
    • It [the dáo of the Nágá tribe, south-east of Assam] is a thick, heavy backsword, eighteen inches long, with a bevel where the point should be, worn at the waist in a half-scabbard of wood, and used for digging as well as killing.1884, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “The Sword: What is It?”, in The Book of the Sword, London: Chatto and Windus, […], →OCLC, page 140
  2. (UK, dated) A stick with a basket handle, used in rustic amusements.
    Synonyms:
    singlestick
  3. (UK, dated) The game in which the stick is used.
    • One afternoon, as the missionary and I were sitting outside our tents, my attention was attracted towards a group of sepahis engaged under a banyantree, playing the game of backsword […]1842, The Asiatic Journal […]

backsword meaning in Tamil

backsword in Tamil

ஒருபுற வாள்

Synonyms of backsword

Forms of backsword

pluralbackswords

Origin of backsword

From back + sword, i.e. “sword with a back”. The same naming theme appears in other Germanic languages, such as Swedish enback (“seax, backsword”, literally “single-back”).

Words formed from backsword

Questions about backsword

What does backsword mean?
Backsword means a sword with one sharp edge, especially full length such, where shorter such are called broadsword and thereof.
What is backsword in Tamil?
Backsword in Tamil is ஒருபுற வாள். See Backsword meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is backsword?
Backsword is a noun.
What is the plural of backsword?
The plural of backsword is backswords.

Words near backsword in the dictionary

  1. backswimmers
  2. backswimming
  3. backswing
  4. backswinging
  5. backswings
  6. backsword
  7. backswording
  8. backswordman
  9. backswordmen
  10. backswords
  11. backswung

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: backsword (page history and authors); backsword (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “backsword.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/backsword. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.