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Today it means

kilij

a curved Turkish sabre

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Where does the word "kilij" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish kılıç, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

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Where does the word "kilij" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish kılıç, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Kilij’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: kılıç meant “sword.” 'sword'; its broad, flared tip gave great force to a cutting stroke. It reached English by 1800s as kilij. The US Marine Corps officers' 'Mameluke sword', given to Presley O'Bannon in 1805, follows the kilij pattern. Today, kilij means a curved Turkish sabre.

  1. Stage 1 · Ottoman Turkish · 1400s kılıç "sword", 'sword'; its broad, flared tip gave great force to a cutting stroke.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s kilij "Turkish sabre", the US Marine Corps officers' 'Mameluke sword', given to Presley O'Bannon in 1805, follows the kilij pattern.

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