sɔ:d n. 1 a
weapon usu. of
metal with a long
blade and hilt with a handguard, used
esp.
for thrusting or
striking, and
often worn as
part of
ceremonial dress. 2 (prec. by the) a
war. b
military power. øput to
the sword
kill, esp. in war. sword-bearer an
official carrying the sovereign's etc. sword on a
formal occasion. sword
dance a dance in
which the performers
brandish swords or
step about swords
laid on the ground. sword
grass a grass, Scirpus americanus, with swordlike
leaves. sword knot a
ribbon or tassel attached to a sword-hilt orig. for securing it to the
wrist. sword
lily =
GLADIOLUS. sword of Damocles an
imminent danger (from Damokles, flatterer of Dionysius of Syracuse (4th c. BC)
made to
feast while a sword
hung by a
hair over him). the sword of
justice judicial authority. Sword of
State a sword
borne before the
sovereign on State occasions. sword-swallower a
person ostensibly or
actually swallowing sword blades as
entertainment. øøswordlike adj. [OE sw(e)ord f. Gmc]
