ENGLISH
REFERENCE

saber

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈseɪbɝ// saber

n. a heavy sword with a curved blade that was used by soldiers on horses in the past.

n. a heavy cavalry sword with a curved, single-edged blade and a large hand guard. In modern contexts, it refers to a light, flexible fencing weapon with a triangular blade.


SIMPLE

The museum displays a silver saber from the nineteenth century.

CONTEXTUAL

The officer drew his saber and signaled for the cavalry to begin their charge across the field.

COMPLEX

While the historical saber was designed for heavy cutting strokes from horseback, the modern fencing variant emphasizes speed and precision within a strictly defined target area.

Usage

Commonly spelled 'sabre' in British English.

Pitfall

he saber the enemyhe attacked with a saberWhile 'saber' can be a verb, it is almost exclusively used as a noun in modern English; learners should use it as an object of an action.

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