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The term 'falchion' may also refer to the early cutlass. The cutlass or curtal-axe also known as a falchion (French badelaire, braquemart, [55] coutelas, [56] malchus; Italian coltellaccio, storta; German messer, [57] dussack, malchus) is a broad-bladed curved hanger or long knife. In later usage, 'cutlass' referred to the short naval boarding ...
A cutlass is a short, broad sabre or slashing sword with a straight or slightly curved blade sharpened on the cutting edge and a hilt often featuring a solid cupped or basket-shaped guard. It was a common naval weapon during the early Age of Sail .
Bronze Age European swords. Harpe: mentioned almost exclusively in Greek mythology; Iron Age European swords. Falcata: one-handed single-edged sword – blade 48–60 cm (19–24 in) – with forward-curving blade for slashing
Non-European weapons classified as swords include single-edged weapons such as the Middle Eastern scimitar, the Chinese dao and the related Japanese katana. The Chinese jiàn 剑 is an example of a non-European double-edged sword , like the European models derived from the double-edged Iron Age sword .
The word katana first appears in Japanese in the Nihon Shoki of 720. The term is a compound of kata ("one side, one-sided") + na ("blade"), [6] [7] [8] in contrast to the double-sided tsurugi. The katana belongs to the nihontō family of swords, and is distinguished by a blade length (nagasa) of more than 2 shaku, approximately 60 cm (24 in). [9]
The basket-hilted sword is a development of the 16th century, rising to popularity in the 17th century and remaining in widespread use throughout the 18th century, used especially by heavy cavalry up to the Napoleonic era.
They maintain that the cutlass last saw combat service in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. [15] Until the mid-2010s, a drawn cutlass was carried by the prisoner's escort at Royal Navy courts martial. [16] [17] The cutlass is now carried only by warrant officers first class, masters-at-arms and chief petty officers when escorting the White ...
In the latter category are the methods of close-quarter combat with the bayonet, besides use of the sabre and the lance by cavalrists and of the cutlass by naval forces. The English longbow is another European weapon that is still used in the sport of archery .