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Glite Dictionary
swordsmanship

swordsmanship

3 8.0
Ability to fight well with a sword, as in fencing
  • noun
  • /ˈsɔrdzmənˌʃɪp/
translation icon : esgrima
  • The knight demonstrated his exceptional swordsmanship during the tournament, impressing all the spectators.

Examples

  • Ladies, anybody want to learn swordsmanship... from the master of cut and thrust?

    The Pirate Movie (1982)

  • YOUR SWORDSMANSHIP IS EXCELLENT.

    Karma (2008)

  • Your swordsmanship is also a work of art.

    Sunshine (1999)

  • We can give you a display of swordsmanship which is better than you can see in Rome.

    Spartacus (1960)

  • Your swordsmanship is amateur at best.

    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2011)

  • A short quiz in the art of swordsmanship!

    Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

  • You apparently studied all the foreign techniques of swordsmanship.

    Adventures of Don Juan (1948)

  • It's obvious he used to be quite skilled in the art of swordsmanship.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The pregame swordsmanship display is one of college football's great traditions.

    Blog text (29)

  • At 16, he moved with his father, now a marquis, to Paris, where he was educated in classical philosophy, equestrianism, and swordsmanship.

    Blog text (14)

Synonyms

fencing
vsswordsmanship
26 3.4

A sport in which people use light swords to score points

includes broader trained fighting art beyond sport and scoring
swordplay
vsswordsmanship
5 6.1

To fight with swords in a skilled, energetic way

emphasizes trained art and formal technique rather than sheer vigor

How Skillful

swordsmanship
3 8.0
play
3 8.8
fencing
26 3.4
sparring
22 4.5

Surface Forms

swordsmanship singular
swordsmanships plural

Morphology

swordsmanship = swordsman (transparent) = sword + man + ship

Formed by adding the productive noun-forming suffix '-ship' to 'swordsman', yielding the skill or art associated with a swordsman, which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Swordsmanship comes from the word sword, meaning a long metal weapon, and the ending -smanship, which you see in craftsmanship and horsemanship and which means 'skill' or 'art'. So swordsmanship is the 'skill' of fighting with a sword.