once upon a time dueling with swords was the gentlemanly way to settle a point of honor
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Play short-order cook, throw swords, pilfer donuts from a dragon’s lair, and more in this raucous party game.—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025 Many samurai remain, but sword-carrying is outlawed, leaving many of them jobless and destitute.—Kayti Burt, Time, 13 Nov. 2025 Where Winds Meet will have players become a young sword master who is on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their own identity, facing challenges all while trying to survive the aftermath of the fall of the Tang Dynasty.—Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 11 Nov. 2025 What’s more, nobody was expecting BBC News CEO Deborah Turness to also fall on her sword.—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sword
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English sweord; akin to Old High German swert sword
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of sword was
before the 12th century
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