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yataghan

a short Ottoman sabre with a forward-curving blade and no guard

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Where does the word "yataghan" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish yatağan, and was adopted directly into English (1810s).

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Where does the word "yataghan" come from? It comes from Ottoman Turkish yatağan, and was adopted directly into English (1810s).

Yataghan’s story begins in Ottoman Turkish: yatağan meant “short sabre.” The typical sidearm of the Janissaries, its blade curving forward toward the tip. It reached English by 1810s as yataghan. European armies copied its double curve for the 'yataghan' sword bayonets of the 1800s. Today, yataghan means a short Ottoman sabre with a forward-curving blade and no guard.

  1. Stage 1 · Ottoman Turkish · 1500s-1800s yatağan "short sabre", the typical sidearm of the Janissaries, its blade curving forward toward the tip.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1810s yataghan "a Turkish short sabre", European armies copied its double curve for the 'yataghan' sword bayonets of the 1800s.

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