two-hand sword

noun

A sword with a handle or grip that is intended to be grasped with both hands.

OriginMiddle English thwahandswerd →
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Meanings

nountwo-hand sword (plural two-hand swords)

plural two-hand swords · alternative two-handed sword

  1. A sword with a handle or grip that is intended to be grasped with both hands.

    Come with thy two-hand sword.

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]
    3 more examples

    Faria on the other side […] with a zealous feruour reached Coia Acem, such a blow with a two hand Sword on his Head-piece of Maile, that he sunke to the ground […]

    1625, Samuel Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimes, London: Henrie Fetherstone, Volume 3, Chapter 2, Section 1, p. 257

    1822, James Hogg, The Three Perils of Man, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, Volume I, Chapter 6, p. 111, […] Charlie, growing wroth, squeezed the Lady Jane so strait with the left arm, that she was forced to cry out; and putting his right over his shoulder, he drew out his tremendous two-hand sword […]

    He stepped forward as he spoke, and his esquire gave him the two-hand Sword of State, heavy enough to behead a bisonoid.

    1963, H. Beam Piper, chapter 4, in Space Viking, New York: Ace Books, page 18

Origin

  1. Middle Englishthwahandswerd
  2. Englishtwo-hand sword

From Middle English thwahandswerd, to hond swerd, twa hand swerde, twohande sworde.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kahden käden miekka
  • kahden käden miekkasword
German Zweihandschwert, Zweihänder
  • Zweihandschwertsword
  • Zweihändersword
Japanese ツーハンデッドソード
  • ツーハンデッドソード (tsūhandeddo sōdo)sword
Polish miecz dwuręczny
  • miecz dwuręcznysword
Cite this entry
APA

two-hand sword. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/two-hand%20sword

MLA

“two-hand sword.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/two-hand%20sword. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “two-hand sword,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/two-hand%20sword.

Source: two-hand sword on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.