Crossword Dictionary
scimitar
scimitar - n
a curved oriental sabre; the edge is on the convex side of the blade
A scimitar is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, scimitar does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different Eastern curved swords inspired by types introduced to the Middle East by Central Asian ghilmans. These swords include the Persian shamshir (the origin of the word scimitar), the Arab saif, the Indian talwar, the North African nimcha, and the Turkish kilij. All such swords being originally derived from earlier curved swords developed in Turkic Central Asia (Turkestan).
etymology
The English term scimitar is attested from the mid-16th century and derives from either the Middle French cimeterre (15th century) or from the Italian scimitarra. The ultimate source of these terms is corruptions of the Persian shamshir. Scimitar became used to describe all curved oriental blades, in contrast to the straight and double edged European swords of the time.
sword
noun
A weapon having various forms but consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved blade, sharp-edged on one or both sides, with one end pointed and the other fixed in a hilt or handle.
SYNONYMS
blade, dagger, saber, cutlass, scimitar
EXAMPLES:
‘Sure, you’re used to the rumble of the controller as your character falls down a rocky hill or gets struck by an enemy’s sword.’
‘It comes at the film’s conclusion, after Mulan has returned home to her family and received her father’s blessing for running away with his sword and armor.’
‘The teeth of beasts, and scorpions, and serpents, and the sword taking vengeance upon the ungodly unto destruction.’