baselard

Meaning

Noun

• A type of heavy dagger popular in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Origin

• From Old French baselard, basilard (early 14th century), in English from the later 14th century. Occurs in many spelling variants, including badelaire, baudelaire, Latinized badelare, bazelare, basalardus, balafardus, balasardus, etc.
• Probably in origin a corruption of German Basler (as pasler also attested from the early 14th century), probably short for Basler messer "knife of (made in, typical of) Basel".