shashka

plural shashkas · alternative shasqua

1. A kind of guardless, lightly-curved sabre used in Russia.

   Modern shasqua, 38 inches overall length. HRC322.

   2009, Hank Reinhardt, Hank Reinhardt's The Book of Swords

   3 more examples

   The question of form naturally concerns only the cutting weapon. Indeed, it is to a certain degree idle to discuss it at all, or at least of no great moment. To be convinced of this it is sufficient to compare the curvature of the yatagan with the less decided curvature of the shashka. Yet no Cossack would probably exchange his shashka for a yatagan, nor would any Turk give up his yatagan for a shashka, because that is all a matter of usage.

   1894, L.R. Hamersly & Company, The United Service, volume 12

   Shashka blades came from various sources, some being locally made and others imported from Russia. In the 19th century, many came from Germany too, and Solingen, in particular, produced a number of shashka blades displaying imitations of the "running wolf" mark of Passau.

   1982, Leonid Tarassuk, Claude Blair, The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms & Weapons

   Bill moved nearer to the table, his eyes on the shashka.

   2017, Rosalind Minett, Impact