Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An unsharpened section of a sword or knife blade next to the hilt.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun That part of the blade of a rapier which is included between the outermost guard (see cup-guard, counter-guard) and the cross-guard, or the point of connection between the blade and the hilt.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The blunt area of a sword just above the hilt, used for grip and maneuverability.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Italian, of unknown origin.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word ricasso.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • The unedged section of a sword's blade, just above the guard.

    October 3, 2007

  • This is the piece of the sword used for bludgeoning heads into abstract portraits.

    October 20, 2008

  • Known in German as Fehlscharfe

    May 8, 2009