Meanings
plural claybegs
- historicalThe Scottish broadsword used during the Early Modern period.
When Sir Walter Scott speaks, prior to 1715, of the inferiority of the claymore to the rapier, he refers not to the claybeg or Andrew Ferrara, now worn by the officers and sergeants of the Highland corps, and which has usurped the venerable name of the ancient Scottish weapon.
1835, letter to the editor of The United Service Magazine, page 109
Origin
- Scottish Gaelicclaidheamh beag
- Englishclaybeg
From Scottish Gaelic claidheamh beag (literally “small sword”). First attested in 1825 as Clay-beg.
More words from Scottish Gaelic
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
claybeg. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/claybeg
“claybeg.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/claybeg. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “claybeg,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/claybeg.
Source: claybeg on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.