Why "Scimitars" Don't Exist

If you read the word "Scimitar", what sword do you picture? It could be one of a thousand designs.

These days, the word "scimitar" is used to describe any non-european, curved sword, rather than a single style of sword. As a result, it can describe totally dissimilar swords, and loses all specificity and meaning.

The term "scimitar" etymologically derives from the mid 16th century Italian word Scimitarra and the mid 16th French word Cimeterre, both of which describe the Persian Shamshir.

Since then, it has also been use to describe a wide range of swords like the shamshir, kilij, pala, tulwar, pulwar, tegha, kora, arabic saif and ottoman karabela, nimcha, and even swords like the yataghan and sossun pattah.

If "scimitar" can be use to describe recurved blades like yataghan and sossun pattah, and also for classic sabres like kilij, then it inherently cannot describe either, they are totally dissimilar swords.

Each of these swords has a specific name, and in the information era, we should make an effort to use the correct word to describe them.

#scimitar #rant #history

Видео Why "Scimitars" Don't Exist канала IPostSwords