épée

noun \ ˈe-ˌpā , ā-ˈpā \

|Updated on: 5 Jul 2018

Definition of épée

1 : a fencing or dueling sword having a bowl-shaped guard and a rigid blade of triangular section with no cutting edge that tapers to a sharp point blunted for fencing — compare ⁴foil 1, saber

2 : the art or sport of fencing with the épée

Recent Examples of épée from the Web

Practitioners spend hours in costumes that evoke military traditions, learning Russian military history and fencing with sharp swords, including foils, epees and sabres.

— mauricio savarese, Fox News, "World Cup host set for historical fencing to forget soccer," 1 July 2018
The Hurley sisters, who won a bronze medal in women’s team epee at the 2012 Olympics, joined Katherine Holmes of Washington, D.C., and Natalie Vie of Phoenix on the women’s epee team that defeated Russia in overtime to win the World Cup team event.

— david barron, Houston Chronicle, "Fencers Courtney, Kelley Hurley win gold at World Cup," 7 May 2018
Among epee, foil and saber, which is the most difficult to master?

— marvin pave, BostonGlobe.com, "Brandeis fencing coach Bill Shipman looks back on his career," 27 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'épée.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.