Thursday, September 22, 2011

CUTLASS

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 22 September 2011

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CUTLASS  (n. pl. -ES)

Definition(s):
  1. (n.) a short sword with a slightly curved blade
  2. (n.) a large knife; a machete

Useful information for game players:
  • Front hooks: (none)
  • Back hooks: (none)
  • Anagrams: (none)
  • Longer extensions: -ES
  • Wraparounds: (none)
  • Other Spellings: CUTLAS (n. pl. -ES), CURTALAX (n. pl. -ES)
  • Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:
Stereotypically, pirates are nearly always adorned with a sword, often one with a curved blade and a hilt, properly known as a CUTLASS.  Such swords were used both on land and at sea for many hundreds of years, being both easy to use and well-suited to close combat as well as to many everyday tasks requiring a blade.  The word came into English in the late 1500s, from the French coutelas and ultimately the Latin cultellus (“knife”) — the same root behind the word CUTLERY.  And while CURTALAX may sound like an entirely different kind of weapon, it is merely a corrupted spelling (of the earlier French form) that has survived into modern times.

This week’s theme: Words related to (the popular conception) of pirates and piracy

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