greatsword

Noun

greatsword (plural greatswords)

1. Any large(er) sword, often with the idea of hewing rather than thrusting.
2. Any generally straight-bladed double-edged sword large enough to require the use of two hands to wield it effectively.
   • It is the "red horse" which was sent forth upon the opening of the "second seal," to whose rider was given power "to take peace from the earth that they should kill one another; and there was also given unto him a greatsword."1851-1852, Appendix to the Congressional Globe for the First Session, Thirty-Second Congress: Containing Speeches and Important State Papers, Superintendent of Government Documents, page 213
   • Shouting with joy, his shimmering greatsword.1910, Oliver Huckel, Richard Wagner, Siegfried: A Dramatic Poem, T.Y. Crowell Company, page 41