sword
A weapon with a long metal blade and a handle, used for thrusting or striking.
Etymology
From Old English sweord, from Proto-Germanic *swerdą. The word is exclusively Germanic with no clear cognates outside the branch. The PIE ancestry is unknown — some propose a connection to a root meaning "to cut" but this is speculative. The sword as a prestige weapon developed primarily in the Bronze Age.
The Journey: (no clear PIE root) → sword
*swerd-
*swerdą
sweord
sword
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root (no clear PIE root). They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Gothic | (none attested) |
| Old Norse | sverð |
| Old Saxon | swerd |
| Old Frisian | swerd |
| Old High German | swert |
Did You Know?
The "w" in sword was once pronounced — in Old English it sounded like "sweord." Swords were so important in Germanic culture that they were given personal names, like Beowulf's Hrunting and Naegling.