What does backsword mean?
A backsword is a sword whose blade is sharpened along only one edge, with the opposite side left as a thickened, blunt 'back' — the feature that gives the weapon its name. Favoured across Europe from roughly the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, it was prized as an effective cutting weapon, particularly by cavalry and infantry who needed a sturdy sidearm. Beyond the weapon itself, 'backsword' also refers to the traditional sport of fighting with such a sword — a pastime especially associated with Britain, where practitioners often trained with a padded wooden stick known as a singlestick. Today the word survives chiefly in the vocabulary of historians, collectors, and practitioners of historical European martial arts, where it denotes both the weapon and its distinctive fencing tradition. Its enduring charm lies in that literal etymology: a sword named for its own dull edge.
A single-edged sword with a flat back along the unsharpened side of the blade.
"The reenactor carried a reproduction backsword at his hip."
The sport or practice of fighting with a backsword, often using a singlestick for training.
"He won the county championship at backsword two years running."
Standard plural formation; the plural typically refers to multiple weapons rather than instances of the sport.
"The collection included several backswords from the Tudor period."
The 'back' in backsword isn't about how you hold it — it's the blunt spine running along the unsharpened side of the blade.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of backsword
Backsword is a compound of the native English words 'back' and 'sword', first attested around the mid-sixteenth to early seventeenth century. The name refers literally to the flat, unsharpened spine on the reverse of the blade, which distinguishes it from double-edged swords like the broadsword. It shares its components with related terms such as 'swordplay' and 'backswordsman', reflecting the English habit of forming transparent compound names for weapons.
How backsword is actually used
Backsword is primarily of historical interest today, appearing mainly in discussions of European fencing history, arms and armour scholarship, and historical European martial arts (HEMA). The sporting sense is largely associated with British tradition.
Easily confused with backsword
A broadsword has a wide double-edged blade designed for both cutting and thrusting, whereas a backsword has a single-edged blade with a flat 'back' on one side.