Etymology Map
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Sabre

2 stages from Hungarian to English.

Today it means a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade; a light fencing sword

Where does the word "sabre" come from? It comes from Hungarian szablya, adopted directly into English (1680s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
szablya
Hungarian · 1400s
"curved sword"
the curved sword of Hungarian light horsemen, the hussars who rose under King Matthias Corvinus; a deeper Turkic source is possible but uncertain
2
Stage 2 of 2
sabre
English · 1680s
"curved cavalry sword"
reached English via German Säbel and French sabre; Britain's light cavalry adopted the curved 1796 Pattern sabre, carried at Waterloo in 1815
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Sabre’s story begins in Hungarian: szablya meant “curved sword.” The curved sword of Hungarian light horsemen, the hussars who rose under King Matthias Corvinus; a deeper Turkic source is possible but uncertain. It reached English by 1680s as sabre. Reached English via German Säbel and French sabre; Britain's light cavalry adopted the curved 1796 Pattern sabre, carried at Waterloo in 1815. Today, sabre means a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade; a light fencing sword.