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The term claymore is an anglicisation of the Gaelic claidheamh-mòr "big/great sword", attested in 1772 (as Cly-more) with the gloss "great two-handed sword". [3] The sense "basket-hilted sword" is contemporaneous, attested in 1773 as "the broad-sword now used ... called the Claymore, (i.e., the great sword)", [4] although OED observes that this usage is "inexact, but very common".
A common weapon among the clansmen during the Jacobite rebellions of the late 17th and early 18th centuries was the Scottish basket hilted broadsword, commonly known as claidheamh mor or claymore meaning "great sword" in Gaelic. British Major Jack Churchill (far right) leads commandos during a training exercise, sword in hand, in World War II.
These swords were often of very fine construction and quality. Scottish swords continued to use the more traditional "V" cross-guards that had been on pre-Norse Gaelic swords, culminating in such pieces as the now famous "claymore" design. This was an outgrowth of numerous earlier designs, and has become a symbol of Scotland.
John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar (16 September 1906 – 8 March 1996) was a British Army officer. Nicknamed "Fighting Jack Churchill" and "Mad Jack", he fought in the Second World War with a basket-hilted Scottish broadsword, and a set of bagpipes.
Named after a medieval Scottish sword, the Claymore is an antipersonnel mine armed with hundreds of 3.2-millimeter steel balls that spray out in a 60-degree arc to about 100 meters when the C4 ...
The sword is 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm). [1] long, of which the blade is 4 feet 4 inches (132 cm). The blade tapers from 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) wide at the guard to 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) before the point. The sword weighs 5.95 pounds (2.70 kg). [2] The sword is currently on display in the National Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland.
The Scottish name "claymore" (Scottish Gaelic: claidheamh mór, lit. "large/great sword") [17] [18] can refer to either the longsword with a distinctive two-handed grip, or the basket-hilted sword. [citation needed] The two-handed claymore is an early Scottish version of a greatsword.
Prior to the 17th century, Highlanders fought in tight formations, led by a heavily armed warrior elite who carried heavy battle axes or claymores (two-handed swords whose name comes from the Scottish Gaelic claidheamh mòr, meaning "great sword"). However, with the introduction of muskets and cannon, such formations became vulnerable.