smallsword
Etymology
From small + sword.
smallsword means A light one-handed sword, designed for thrusting, which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why “smallsword” is a great word
SMALLSWORD — [Noun] A light, one-handed thrusting sword of the 17th and 18th centuries, an evolved and elegant successor to the heavier Renaissance rapier. From the English adjective small (meaning "of limited size") + the noun sword ("a weapon with a long metal blade"). Unlike the "rapier" (which denotes a longer, more complex predecessor built for both cut and thrust) or the "foil" (which describes a blunted, purely pedagogical tool), the smallsword was a sharp, socially-mandated accessory for lethal punctilio. It is the faint, metallic whisper of a slender blade clearing its scabbard, the stark geometry of a triangular cross-section designed to puncture rather than slash, and the precise, almost surgical pressure required to drive its needle-like point home—a crystallized argument, worn at the hip to prove one was civilized enough to settle matters with a single, cold inch of steel.
noun
- A light one-handed sword, designed for thrusting, which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance.