Basic Sword Parts Terminology

Blade - It is the steel length that forms the sword.

Back - The blade side opposite to the sharpened edge is the back. Double edged swords do not have a back.

Cross-guard - Cross or the cross guard is the Medieval term of the straight bar guard in the hilt.

Edge - This is the sharpened portion of the blade. A sword may be single or double-edged.

Hilt - It is the lower portion of the sword consisting of the cross-guard, handle/grip, and pommel

Quillions - A Renaissance term for the two cross-guards

Forte - It is the Renaissance term for the lower portion of the blade that is strong and does most of the parrying. It is also called prime or fort.

Foible - It is a Renaissance term for the upper portion of the blade that is weaker than the forte but more agile and flexible. It does the attacking.

Fuller - It is a shallow central groove along the length of the blade. The narrow deep fullers are called fluke. The purpose is to improve rigidity, strength and flexibility, similar to the spine.

Grip - It is the handle of the sword that could be made of leather, wire, wood, bone, horn, or ivory.

Lower end - It is the tip portion of a Medieval sword

Pommel - It is the Latin for "little apple", the the weight balance that holds the hilt to the blade and allows the hand to rest on it or grip it. Sometimes it includes a small rivet called a pommel nut, pommel bolt, or tang nut. It could be used as a secondary weapon. It could be of various shapes like disks, balls and crescents etc. It was one of the fashionable and decorative part of the sword.

Ricasso - It is the dull portion of a blade just above the hilt. It provides the secondary grip but not all swords have it.

Shoulder - It is the corner of the sword separating the blade from the tang.

Tang - It is the un-edged hidden portion of the blade that goes through the handle and attached to the pommel. The place where the tang joins the blade is called the "shoulder".

Waisted-grip - it is a specially shaped handle of bastard swords, consisting of a slightly wider middle and tapering towards the pommel.

Tip - It is the end of the blade opposite to the hilt. It may be pointed or rounded, straight or curved.

Annellet/Finger-Ring - they are the small loops on the cross guard towards the blade to protect the fingers wrapped on the guard. They were most common in late medieval and renaissance period.

Compound-Hilt/Complex-Guard - It is a common term for the hilts of the Renaissance swords. It can be in various forms of swept, basket, and cage hilts. It comprises of quillon, side-rings, and a knuckle bar in various combinations.