CUTLASS

cutlass, the naval side-arm, a short cutting sword with a slightly curved blade, and a solid basket-shaped guard (see sword). the word is derived from the fr. _coutelas_, or _coutelace_, a form of _coutel_, modern _couteau_, a knife, from lat. _cultellus_, diminutive of _culter_, a ploughshare, or cutting instrument. two variations appear in english: "curtelace," where the _r_ represents probably the _l_ of the original latin word, or is a further variant of the second variation; and "curtelaxe," often spelled as two words, "curtal axe," where the prefix _curtal_ is confused with various english words such as "curtan," "curtal" and "curtail," which all mean "shortened," and are derived from the lat. _curtus_; the word thus wrongly derived has been supposed to refer to some non-existent form of battle-axe. in every case the weapon to which these various forms apply is a broad cutting or slashing sword.