A weapon with a long metal blade and a handle, used for cutting or thrusting in combat.
From Old English sweord, from Proto-Germanic *swerdam, possibly related to Proto-Indo-European *swer- 'to cut'. The word has cognates across Germanic languages and has maintained its core meaning for over a millennium, reflecting the weapon's enduring symbolic importance.
The sword transcended its practical function to become humanity's most potent symbol of power, justice, and honor - from Excalibur to the scales of justice, swords appear in our metaphors even as the weapons themselves became obsolete. The phrase 'the pen is mightier than the sword' ironically uses the sword as the ultimate symbol of force.
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