Word.ws English Dictionary

swordlength

swordlength noun: a distance equal to the length of a sword.

Noun

swordlength (plural swordlengths)

  1. A distance equal to the length of a sword.
    • All danger of that, however—which (though of course I should have done it unhesitatingly,) would have been not a little disagreeable in a country where respectability is measured by swordlengths just as silk is by yardlengths—is entirely over.1852 June 24, John Ruskin, edited by John Lewis Bradley, Ruskin’s Letters from Venice, 1851-1852, New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press; London: Geoffrey Cumberlege, Oxford University Press...
    • I believe they did introduce a rule there some time ago that members were not to bring swords or other arms into the Chamber. In fact, is the distance between the two front benches not so calculated that it is more than two swordlengths apart?1966, W. A. Ballinger, chapter 18, in Call It Rhodesia, Mayflower-Dell, page 100

Examples of swordlength in a sentence

  • These are two swordlengths with arms at full stretch apart and the MPs must stand behind thes^([sic]) lines at all times to prevent discussions collapsing into a duel!1985, The 1001 Carpet Book, The Sales Machine Ltd, page 20:
  • The two lines are two swordlengths’ distance apart.1989, David McDowall, An Illustrated History of Britain, Longman, published 2006, →ISBN, page 141:
  • ‘Only if we choose to halt here,’ said Sken-Pitilkin, who had matched the rigours of Guest Gulkan’s horse-coursing, and sat saddled a swordlength distant from him now.1992, Hugh Cook, The Witchlord and the Weaponmaster, Corgi Books, →ISBN, page 194:
  • As he drew within a swordlength, Cedric turned and padded lightly away.1995, Samantha James, My Lord Conqueror, Avon Books, →ISBN, page 309:

Forms of swordlength

pluralswordlengths
alternative formswordslength

Origin of swordlength

From sword + length. Compare Middle English swerde-length, swerd lengthe.

Questions about swordlength

What does swordlength mean?
Swordlength means a distance equal to the length of a sword.
How do you use swordlength in a sentence?
These are two swordlengths with arms at full stretch apart and the MPs must stand behind thes^([sic]) lines at all times to prevent discussions collapsing into a duel!
What part of speech is swordlength?
Swordlength is a noun.
What is the plural of swordlength?
The plural of swordlength is swordlengths.

Words near swordlength in the dictionary

  1. swordicks
  2. swordie
  3. swordies
  4. swording
  5. swordknot
  6. swordlength
  7. swordlengths
  8. swordless
  9. swordlessness
  10. swordlet
  11. swordlets

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: swordlength (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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