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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".
The Great Sword (Claideamh Mòr) or claymore was a two-handed sword favored by both Scottish Highlanders and the Gallowglass in Ireland. During the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance period, weapon imports from Europe influenced Gaelic weapon design.
Two-handed cruciform, with pommel The Zweihänder ( German pronunciation: [t͡svaɪhɛndɐ] ⓘ , literally "two-hander"), also Doppelhänder ("double-hander"), Beidhänder ("both-hander"), [ 1 ] Bihänder , or Bidenhänder , is a large two-handed sword that was used primarily during the 16th century.
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.
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.
A claymore is a two-handed sword, particularly the Scottish cross-hilted great sword. Claymore may also refer to: Places. Claymore, New South Wales, Australia;
According to the article "The Words 'Claymore' and 'Broadsword'" by Paul Wagner and Christopher Thompson, in SPADA (Anthology of Swordsmanship) #2 (ed. Stephen Hand), the earliest known uses of "claymore" refer to the one-handed broadsword. There are no references to the two-handed Scottish sword as a claymore from its period of use.