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. put 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. swordlike adj.
[ OE sw(e)ord f. Gmc ]