SABER

I. noun or sabre Etymology: French sabre, modification of German dialect Sabel, from Middle High German, probably of Slavic origin; akin to Russian sablya ~ Date: 1680 a cavalry sword with a curved blade, thick back, and guard, 2. a light fencing or dueling sword having an arched guard that covers the back of the hand and a tapering flexible blade with a full cutting edge along one side and a partial cutting edge on the back at the tip, the sport of fencing with the ~, II. transitive verb or sabre (~ed or sabred; ~ing or sabring) Date: 1790 to strike, cut, or kill with a ~