What is the difference between a sword and a short sword?

Perhaps were are getting at this from the wrong direction. We should start by looking at the origins of the words "sword" and "knife". I believe the term "sword" is older than the term "knife", hence all edge weapons would have been "swords" until the term "knife" entered common usuage. This would explain some of the confusion. Language is great for conveying thoughs; but, it also places a limitation on what can be said, and each word needs to examine in the proper context.

N2S
 
James Mattis made the Sword of Ehud by finishing a Bob Engnath blade.
He also presented it quite beautifully on his web site, preceding it with a calligraphically addressed envelope: a message from God to Eglon.

James had a particular talent for shaping handles.
I can't do him justice here.
It needs a picture.

He also made some wooden spikes, actually tent pegs, commemorating a Hebrew woman who killed an enemy general with a tent peg.
He made tent pegs into works of art that summoned the hand to touch and hold them.

A major talent, an uncommonly decent man, and a loss to us all.

------------------
Luke 22:36, John 18:6-11, Freedom
If one takes care of the means, the end will take care of itself.
 
not2sharp wonders about the origin of "knife" and yes, Webster's thesaurus equates the word with sword.
~~~~~~~~
Main Entry: 1knife
Pronunciation: 'nIf
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural knives /'nIvz/
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English knif, from Old English cnIf, perhaps from Old Norse knIfr; akin to Middle Low German knIf knife
Date: before 12th century
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I believe many cultures used a basic category of terms to describe blade length and form/function

Swords, I guess, are either long or short. The short ones being somewhat shorter than the long ones.

Sweord is OE too, kind of has that "Norsey" ring to it as well.

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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by horseclover:
...Swords, I guess, are either long or short. The short ones being somewhat shorter than the long ones. </font>
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums it up I think
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Paracelsus

 
Actually, I was not commenting that this was silly:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by horseclover:
...Swords, I guess, are either long or short. The short ones being somewhat shorter than the long ones. </font>
Click to expand...

I honestly think that was just about the best definition I have seen in this thread. We can not define knife vs sword, how the heck are we supposed to know a short sword from a full sized one?

I imagine a ancient highlander Scot with his Claymore would still be laughing at the puny size of the full sized Katana in the hands of Ronin like Musashi even as he fell in neat bloody pieces on the ground.

Paracelsus, lover of wyrds and their many meanings

Oh, I like pointless silly discussions and word play (if you hadn't noticed). It is about as close as I ever get to sword play and I get to parry, cut and slash without fear that I might actually harm someone or myself

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 02-27-2001).]
 
No no you misunderstand. I wasn't saying horseclover's comment was silly, his made a heck of a lot more sense then most of this thread. It was all this wrangling about what is a shortsword vs what is a longsword that I thought was kind of absurd.
 
Triton actually said very much the same thing back on the 21st. I was really just bringing up the knife etymology.

"Sword" is OE pre 12th century and is similar to the German "swert" Kind of rusty on my Gaelic but I'll dig that up next.

The concept of difference between knife and sword probably does relate more to "weapon or tool"

"Short sword" is probably a later definition, much like broadsword and longsword. (there were of course broad short swords)

Dagger is a Latin derivative and falls under the weapon category with swords.

While waiting for a Great Sword I drill with one just as long that would come up short in a cutting comparison.

The elder Scot might well decide not to confront the weilder of a short handled scythe dressed in funny clothes.
smile.gif
(now there's a tool with some distal taper) "Run away, run away"
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Er, ummm it's me folks, the wacko Welshman

 
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