: a cavalry sword with a curved blade, thick back, and guard
2
a
: a light fencing or dueling sword having an arched guard that covers the back of the hand and a tapering flexible blade with a full cutting edge along one side and a partial cutting edge on the back at the tip compare épée, foilentry 4
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Noun
In some ways, saber teeth represent an evolutionary pinnacle, the optimal design for a canine tooth to puncture prey, says Rayfield.—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025 Just before our trip began, a group of St. Louis Neo Nazis had draped swastikas on an overpass in an act of pre-election saber rattling.—Dan Sheehan, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024 In addition to merely rattling sabers, the Kremlin also employed an intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Wednesday, marking the first time such a weapon has been used in combat.—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin has been rattling his nuclear saber in a manner reminiscent of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.—Madelyn Creedon, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for saber
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French sabre, modification of German dialect Sabel, from Middle High German, probably of Slav origin; akin to Russian sablya saber
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