scimitar

See also: Scimitar

English

Scimitars in a museum.

Heraldic scimitar, whose exaggerated shape is common in contemporary fantasy media.

Alternative forms

• cimeter, cimiter, cymeter, semitar (obsolete)
• scimiter
• scimetar

Etymology

First attested in 1548. From Middle French cimeterre (15c.) or directly from Italian scimitarra, possibly from an unknown Ottoman Turkish word, ultimately from Persian شمشیر (šamšir, “sword”). Doublet of shamshir.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪmɪtɑːɹ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪmɪtə(ɹ)/

• Audio pronunciation

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmɪtə(ɹ)

Noun

scimitar (plural scimitars)

1. A sword of Persian origin that features a curved blade.

   Hyponyms: shamshir, saif, tulwar, kilij

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 167, columns 1–2:

     The Prince of Morocco:
     […] By this Symitare,
     That ſlew the Sophie, and a Perſian Prince
     That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
     I would ore-ſtare the ſterneſt eies that looke,
     Out-braue the heart moſt daring on the earth:
     Plucke the yong ſucking Cubs from the ſhe Beare,
     Yea, mocke the Lion when he rors for pray
     To win the Ladie. […]

   • 2022 April 12, Helen Lewis, “Among Europe’s Ex-Royals”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     Next door is a room devoted to Albanian history (“what a lovely scimitar,” I find myself exclaiming, my reserves of small talk inadequate at the sight of the family’s sword collection), […]

2. A long-handled billhook.

Derived terms

• scimitar babbler
• scimitar cat
• scimitar-horned oryx
• scimitar leg
• scimitar pod
• scimitar shell
• scimitar-toothed

 

Translations

sword with curved blade

• Arabic: سَيْف (ar) m (sayf)
• Bengali: শমশের (bn) (śomośer), তেগ (bn) (teg), তলোয়ার (bn) (tôloar), তরোয়াল (bn) (tôroal)
• Bulgarian: ятаган (bg) m (jatagan)
• Catalan: simitarra (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 彎刀／弯刀 (wāndāo)

• Czech: turecká šavle m, šavle (cs) m, šimitar m, šamšír m
• Danish: krumsabel
• Dutch: kromsabel
• Finnish: käyräsapeli
• French: cimeterre (fr) m
• Galician: cimitarra (gl) f
• German: Krummsäbel (de) m, Scimitar (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: σαμψήρα f (sampsḗra), ξιφοδρέπανον n (xiphodrépanon)

• Gujarati: શમશેર f (śamśer), સમશેર f (samśer)
• Hindi: शमशेर (hi) f (śamśer), शमशीर (hi) f (śamśīr), समसेर (hi) f (samser), तलवार (hi) f (talvār), तेग (hi) f (teg), सैफ (hi) m (saiph), असि (hi) m (asi), खड्ग (hi) m (khaḍg), खाँड़ा (hi) m (khā̃ṛā), खाड़ा (hi) m (khāṛā), खंडा (hi) m (khaṇḍā), खंग (hi) m (khaṅg), कृपाण (hi) m (kŕpāṇ), करंड (hi) m (karaṇḍ), छुरिका (hi) f (churikā), छुरी (hi) f (churī)
• Hungarian: handzsár (hu)
• Icelandic: bjúgsverð n
• Ido: cimitaro (io)
• Irish: simeatár m
• Italian: scimitarra (it)
• Japanese: シミター (shimitā), 弯刀 (わんとう, wantō)
• Korean: 시미타 (simita)
• Latin: acīnacēs m, cymithārra (la) f
• Macedonian: анџар m (andžar), јатаган m (jatagan)
• Maltese: ximitarra f
• Ottoman Turkish: شمشیر (şemşir, şimşir)
• Persian: شمشیر (fa) (šamšir), تیغ (fa) (tiğ), دشنه (fa) (dešne, dašne), پلارک (fa) (palârak)
• Polish: bułat (pl) m
• Portuguese: cimitarra (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਸ਼ਮਸ਼ੀਰ (pa) f (śamśīr), ਸ਼ੁਮਸ਼ੇਰ f (śumśer)
• Romanian: iatagan (ro) n
• Russian: сцимита́р m (scimitár), скимита́р m (skimitár), ятага́н (ru) m (jatagán) (yataghan), крива́я са́бля f (krivája sáblja)
• Sanskrit: असि (sa) m (asi)
• Scottish Gaelic: claidheamh crom m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ха̀нџа̄р m

  Roman: hàndžār (sh) m

• Slovene: handžar m
• Spanish: cimitarra (es) f
• Swahili: kitara
• Swedish: kroksabel c
• Tamil: வக்கிரகட்கம் (ta) (vakkirakaṭkam)
• Telugu: ఖడ్గము (te) (khaḍgamu)
• Tulu: ತಲ್ವಾರ್ (talvārŭ)
• Turkish: yatağan (tr) (yataghan)
• Urdu: شمشیر f (śamśer, śamśīr)
• Welsh: cleddyf cam m
• Yiddish: סצימיטאַר (stsimitar)

See also

• falchion

Verb

scimitar (third-person singular simple present scimitars, present participle scimitaring, simple past and past participle scimitared)

1. (transitive) To strike or slice with, or as if with, a scimitar.

Anagrams

• Ramistic