Where does “broadsword” come from?
Broadsword comes from English broad and sword, with broad deriving from Middle English brode, from Old English brād, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swer- meaning to turn or bend.
broadsword (English): A type of early modern sword that has a broad...
Definitions
- A type of early modern sword that has a broad...
Ancestry of “broadsword”, step by step
broadsword traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English broad
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | broad | Wide in extent or scope; Extended, in the sense... |
| 2 | German | braut | inflection of brauen: ## third-person singular... |
| 3 | Middle High German | brūt | concubine |
| 4 | Old High German | brūt | daughter-in-law, bride; bride |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *brūdi | bride |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brūdiz | bride |