Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

quillon

/ˈkwɪlən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: quill-on
IPA: /ˈkwɪlən/

16

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Synonym of crossguard (“a metal bar fixed between, and at right angles to, the blade and the handle of a sword or other bladed weapon that stops an opponent's similar weapon from sliding along the blade and injuring the hand of the person wielding the sword”).

noun

Either of the two arms of a crossguard.

Example Sentences

"Holonym: hilt"
"The Sword of State which is carried before the King at the opening of Parliament is quite a different weapon. It is a long, two-handed sword, with a gold hilt and quillion, and is encased in a crimson velvet scabbard. […] The quillion of the sword is formed of an elongated lion on one side, and a similarly maltreated unicorn on the other."
"The guard [of the cavalry officers' saber] consists of a knuckle-bow bent in the stirrup pattern. The bow gradually expands until it makes it turn up towards the blade. At that point it swells rapidly to form a broad quillon, and a branch swings out in a full semi-circle on the obverse side, joining the quillon again at its tip above the blade. A single bar connects the branch and the quillon opposite the upper edge of the grips."
"'You will remark the short quillion on this piece,' he added, touching the sword crosspiece. 'More to your sea tastes, I believe. And the grips—for a fighting sword we have ivory, filigree—'"
"Holonyms: crossguard, guard < hilt"
"The guard against the cut is technically called the cross[-]guard[…]. This section is composed of one or more bars projecting from the hilt between tang and blade, and receiving the edge of the adversary's weapon should it happen to glance or to glide downwards. The quillons may be either straight[…]—that is, disposed at right angles—or curved[…]."

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French quillon (literally “little ninepin”), from quille (“club; ninepin, skittle”) (from the similar appearance) + -on (diminutive suffix). Quille is derived from Middle High German kegel (“club”), from Old High German kegil, from Proto-West Germanic *kagil (“pile, pole, stake; peg, pin”), from *kagō (“bush, shrub”) + *-il (diminutive suffix).

Origin

Source language: Middle High German

Word Breakdown

Root: kegel, kegil, *kagil

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkwɪlən/
British English: /ˈkwɪlən/

Inflected Forms

quillons (plural) quillion (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

grip pommel ricasso

Synonyms

guard crossguard

Rhymes With

dylan villain macmillan dillon mcmillan penicillin bouillon gillan millen gillen millan killen

Questions

How do you pronounce quillon?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkwɪlən/.
What does quillon mean?: Synonym of crossguard (“a metal bar fixed between, and at right angles to, the blade and the handle of a sword or other bladed weapon that stops an opponent's similar weapon from sliding along the blade and injuring the hand of the person wielding the sword”).
Where does quillon come from?: It is traced to Middle High German.

How to pronounce quillon

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “quillon”.
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