shashka

Noun

shashka (plural shashkas)

1. A kind of guardless, lightly-curved sabre used in Russia.
   • The question of form naturally concerns only the cutting weapon. Indeed, it is to a certain degree idle to discuss it at all, or at least of no great moment. To be convinced of this it is sufficient to compare the curvature of the yatagan with the less decided curvature of the shashka. Yet no...1894, L.R. Hamersly & Company, The United Service, volume 12
   • Shashka blades came from various sources, some being locally made and others imported from Russia. In the 19th century, many came from Germany too, and Solingen, in particular, produced a number of shashka blades displaying imitations of the "running wolf" mark of Passau.1982, Leonid Tarassuk, Claude Blair, The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms & Weapons