Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “scimitar” come from?

Scimitar comes from Middle French cimeterre, a curved sword used in Ottoman warfare.

scimitar (English): A sword of Persian origin that features a curved...

Definitions

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

Ancestry of “scimitar”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchcimeterre—
2Italianscimitarrascimitar
3Persianشمشیرsword, scimitar, shamshir
4Middle Persianšmšyl—

Words derived from “scimitar”

  • scimitarlike
  • scimitarbill
Every word from Middle Persian šmšyl →