broadsword

Etymology

From broad + sword.

noun

1. (history) A type of early modern sword that has a broad double-edged blade for cutting (as opposed to the more slender thrust-oriented rapier) and typically a basket hilt.
   The principal distinction between the broadsword and the rapier is, that the latter is formed only for thrusting, while the former is adapted for cutting also. Indeed, those who use the broadsword are, in my opinion, too apt to neglect the use of the point, and to give their attention almost exclusively to the cuts. 1861, John George Wood, Athletic Sports and Recreations for Boys, page 93
   One version of the broadsword, the Highland broadsword, was adopted as the national sword of Scotland. Another, the schiavona, was Italy's version of the weapon. 1995, Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword, page 79
2. A person armed with such a sword.
3. (colloquial, often fantasy) Synonym of longsword
   The Brythunian's arm drew back; the ancient broadsword with its strange, clawed quillons arcked spinning through the air. 1990, Robert Jordan, “Conan the Magnificent”, in The Conan Chronicles II, published 1997
   Henry carried a heavy broadsword with a cruciform hilt, and a decorated dagger on his hip known as a misericord because its blade could release souls. The English knights and men-at-arms carried broadswords, maces for smashing skulls and the murderous pole-axe, combining a spear with an axehead about five feet long. 2013, Colin Brown, “1415 Azincourt”, in Glory and B*llocks: The Truth Behind Ten Defining Events in British History, page 46
4. A flat, rectangular bread made from corn (maize) and beans by the Cherokee, traditionally by boiling rather than baking it.
   Cherokee "broadswords'" and "dog-heads," or Iroquois wedding breads (paired like dumbbells) might be eaten and described by visitors, but apparently were not adapted by colonial farmers other than a few intermarried pioneers. 2007-05-01, Andrew F. Smith, The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, Oxford University Press
   These breads were noted by early English explorers of the East Coast and continue to be made as Cherokee broadswords, Navajo kneel-down bread, and other dishes. Tamale pie is one of a group of American foods invented outside the ethnic[…] 2013-01-31, Andrew Smith, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, page 701
   Then took two broadsword corn dumplings from the basket Mother left out on the porch last night. Ate them as I walked our line of rail fence after letting out the cows from the barn. The dumplings were delicious, and I wished I had[…] 2014-01-07, Joseph Bruchac, On This Long Journey, the Journal of Jesse Smoke, a Cherokee Boy, the Trail of Tears, 1838, Scholastic Inc.
   Well, after awhile we just sat right down there on the ground by that fire beside the creek, and we ate some of those broadswords, hot and fresh, and I tell you, that was the best bean bread I ever ate. 2014-10-30, Robert J. Conley, Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears, University of Oklahoma Press, page 143