Editing Classification of swords (section)

==Classification by hilt type==
[[File:427 20100912 bt shanghai museum (4987754808).jpg|thumb|[[Warring States]] era jian (double edged sword)|439x439px]]

===Handedness===
The term '''two-handed sword''' may refer to any large sword designed to be used primarily with two hands:
* the European longsword, popular in the [[Late Middle Ages]] and [[Renaissance]].
** the Scottish late medieval '''[[claymore]]''' (not to be confused with the basket-hilted claymore of the 18th century)
* the ''[[Bidenhänder]]'' sword favored by the ''[[Landsknechte]]'' of 16th-century Germany

The term "hand-and-a-half sword" is modern (late 19th century).<ref name="google3"/>
During the first half of the 20th century, the term "bastard sword" was used regularly to refer to this type of sword, while "long sword" or "long-sword" referred to the [[rapier]] (in the context of Renaissance or Early Modern fencing).<ref name="google149"/>

The term "single-handed sword" or "one-handed sword" was coined to distinguish from "two-handed" or "hand-and-a-half" swords.
"Single-handed sword" is used by [[Sir Walter Scott]].<ref>in ''Death of the Laird's Jock'' (1831).</ref> It is also used as a possible gloss of the obscure term ''tonsword'' by Nares (1822);<ref>Robert Nares, ''A glossary; or, Collection of words ... which have been thought to require illustration, in the works of English authors'' (1822).</ref> "one-handed sword" is somewhat later, recorded from {{Circa|1850}}.

Some swords were designed for left-hand use, although left-handed swords have been described as "a rarity".<ref>Tony Willis, "A Pair of Scottish Swords", [http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/mactom/scotpair.jpg Page One], [http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/mactom/scotpair2.jpg Page Two], [http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/mactom/scotpair3.jpg Page Three], [http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y59/mactom/scotpair4.jpg Page Four].</ref>

====Great sword====
'''Great swords''' or '''greatswords''' are related to the [[long sword]]s of the [[Middle Ages]].<ref>{{Cite Q|Q105271484|pages=42-46}}</ref><ref>Oakeshott, Ewart. ''Records of the Medieval Sword''. Boydell Press 1991. Page 89 and 95.</ref><ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis: Indices (pp. v-ccxvi) & "Extraits des observations sur l'Histoire de Saint Louis"|author1=Du Fresne Du Cange, C.|author2=Henschel, G.A.L.|author3=Carpentier, P.|author4=Adelung, J.C.|author5=Favre, L.|author6=Freher, M.|author7=Scaliger, J.J.|author8=Welser, M.|year=1887|publisher=L. Favre|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0fcUAAAAQAAJ}}</ref>{{dubious|date=August 2013}} The great sword was developed during the Renaissance, but its earlier cousin the Scottish Claymore was very similar in size and use, like the "outsized specimens" between {{convert|160|and|180|cm|abbr=on}} (approx. the same height as the user) such as the [[Oakeshott type XII]]a or [[Oakeshott typology#Type XIII|Oakeshott type XIIIa]]. These swords were too heavy to be wielded one-handed and possessed a large grip for leverage.

====Claymore====
The Scottish name "[[claymore]]" ({{langx|gd|claidheamh mór}}, lit. "large/great sword")<ref name="chambers">{{cite web|url=http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=claymore&title=21st|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928040058/http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=claymore&title=21st|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-09-28|title=Search Chambers - Free English Dictionary|publisher=chambers.co.uk|access-date=2014-05-27}}</ref><ref name="jacobites">{{cite web|url=http://www.jacobites.info/weapon_claymore.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915022745/http://jacobites.info/weapon_claymore.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-09-15|title=Claymore|publisher=jacobites.info|access-date=2014-05-27}}</ref> can refer to either the longsword with a distinctive two-handed grip, or the [[basket-hilted sword]].{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}  The two-handed claymore is an early Scottish version of a greatsword.

==== ''Zweihänder'' ====
The ''[[Zweihänder]]'' ("two-hander") or ''Beidhänder'' ("both-hander") is a true two-handed sword, in the sense that it cannot be wielded in only one hand. It was a specialist weapon wielded by certain ''[[Landsknecht]]e'' (mercenary soldiers), so-called ''[[Doppelsöldner]]s''.