Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A short, broad sword with a convex cutting edge and a sharp point, used in medieval times.
- n. Archaic A sword.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A short, broad sword having a convex edge curving sharply to the point; loosely, as in poetry, any sword. In the proper sense, falchions were of two sorts: With the back straight and the sharpened edge rounded gradually as far as the greatest width, which is about three fourths of the length of the blade from the hilt, and thence sharply curved to the point
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A broad-bladed sword, slightly curved, shorter and lighter than the ordinary sword; -- used in the Middle Ages.
- n. A name given generally and poetically to a sword, especially to the swords of Oriental and fabled warriors.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a short broad slightly convex medieval sword with a sharp point
Etymologies
- From Middle English fauchoun, from Old French fauchon (cognate with Italian falcione), from Vulgar Latin *falciōnem, from Latin falx (stem: falc-, “sickle”). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English fauchoun, from Old French fauchon, from Vulgar Latin *falciō, falciōn-, from Latin falx, falc-, sickle. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The blacksmith made it into a blade three feet long by two spans broad, a kind of falchion or chopper, cased it with gold and called it Dhámi (the "Trenchant") from its sharpness.”
“a kind of falchion or chopper, cased it with gold and called it”
“We decided it would be cool to test a sword I had (a falchion, actually), so we heaved the fish onto the front yard and with a ear piercing Kiai I bisected the fish with the sword.”
“The pigs dined well that night and I can say that while I have yet to catch one on rod and reel in the water, I have "hunted" one on land with a falchion!”
“His +3 Keen Longsword and +2 frost shortsword are as expensive as a single +5 weapon (for example a +1 holy shocking greatsword of wounding or a +1 keen falchion of speed).”
“He turned his face away from the hideous stench and saw his falchion leaning on the hearth, just out of reach…”
“A long, broad, straight-shaped, double-edged falchion, with a handle formed like a cross, corresponded with a stout poniard on the other side.”
“Towards the middle of the plain, there lay the bodies of several men who had fallen in the very act of grappling with the enemy; and there were seen countenances which still bore the stern expression of unextinguishable hate and defiance, hands which clasped the hilt of the broken falchion, or strove in vain to pluck the deadly arrow from the wound.”
“Scotland — combed his long curled hair — disposed his chain and medal round a beaver hat of the newest block; and with the gay falchion which had reached him in so mysterious a manner, hung by his side in an embroidered belt, his apparel, added to his natural frank mien and handsome figure, formed a most commendable and pleasing specimen of the young gallant of the period.”
“In the same manner, he proved satisfactorily, that the word sword comprehended all descriptions, whether backsword or basket-hilt, cut-and-thrust or rapier, falchion, or scimitar.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘falchion’.
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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excelsior
The shades of night were falling fast,
As through an Alpine village passed
A youth, who bore, mid snow and ice,
A banner with the strange device,
Excelsior! - Longfellowwood shavings, lofty, heights, motto, 24 lines to the inch, falchion, spectral glaciers, falling star, Cinclodes excelsior, hornero, Paracelsus, parcels and 18 more...
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Words from the History of Norman & An...
leguminous, pursuant, frankalmoign, screed, codex, doublet, chattel, hauberk, scutage, fyrd, pallium, danegeld and 27 more...
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steel
a reflection on :
Indo-European root stāk- to stand, place
stay, steel, style, temper, celesta, elinvar, vanadium steel, koftgari, mild steel, stale, falchion, eutectoid steel and 46 more...
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Lexicomaniac
cicatrix, ingeminate, durcheinander, crêpe, soporific, papaverous, archaic, enucleate, falchion, gravitic, pseudorandom, thorp and 10 more...
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Greek Fire
being items related to mediaeval warfare, arms and armaments.
caltrop, ballista, trebuchet, mangonel, petard, onager, petrary, hurlbat, francisca, crossbow, longbow, flail and 97 more...
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Stalking Darkness
Words and phrases from Lynn Flewelling's book, Stalking Darkness.
inquest, halyard, catamount, occlude, founder, more, grouse, grapple, water butt, antepenultimate, palimpsest, hob and 196 more...
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Gone, But Not Forgotten...Yet
Ay, ay, the best terms will grow obsolete: damns have had their day. -- Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)
Obsolete, rare, and obscure words culled from my Wordie/Wordnik Curio Cabi...rouzie-bouzie, knuckylbonyard, ferrups, defease, malahane, accinge, venundate, pinguidity, preterlapsed, wlatsome, emuscation, atbraid and 427 more...
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Quaintnesses
For those who wish no words were ever forgotten
opprobrium, tedium, encomium, odium, ire, enmity, beguile, wile, brazen, popinjay, squit, hoity-toity and 1161 more...
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Awesome Words, Part 2: More Common
pilgrim, indubitably, incorrigible, bombastic, histrionics, depredation, perspicuity, discombobulate, peregrination, ambulatory, redux, fractious and 164 more...
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The Innocents Abroad
Words rounded up while reading The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.
rakish, excursionist, bowelless, pilgrimizing, melodeon, woebegone, abaft, sextant, veriest, behindhand, stanchion, avast and 188 more...
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Hiroe's Words
facetious, bardic, twatwaffle, cattywampus, splendiferous, zomg, merf, fwaa, fnord, tortify, schwiz, blort and 225 more...
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noble mythical words
halcyon, yore, chevalier, geas, dour, clarion, codex, selkie, mythic, rime, hoarfrost, eldritch and 112 more...
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sionnach's Words
contumely, fomite, holmgang, poltroon, eleemosynary, obsidian, nugatory, grindcore, felch, recrudescent, pyx, parenteral and 3271 more...
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