Names of swords according to cultures

Xiphos - the "sword" of Ancient Greece. The weapons resembled other mid- first millennium BC iron swords (e.g. of the Persian Empire).

Gladius - the sword of the earlier Roman army, measuring about 60cm

Spatha the sword of the late Roman Empire, longer than the gladius. The shape of the spatha continued in use during the early Middle Ages.

Great sword - a broad term generally referring to the knightly sword of the high Middle Ages.

Long-sword - a broad and somewhat ahistorical term, usually including the bastard-sword. Broadsword is a similarly ill-defined term.

Bastard-sword or "hand and a half sword" - the traditional European, two-edged, straight sword for use with either one or two hands (see also Spadone).

Spadroon - a light sword used both to cut and to thrust

Zweihänder - the large and heavy, two-handed German sword of the 16th century.

Estoc - 16th Century armor- and chainmail-piercing sword.

Schiavona - an Italian Renaissance broad sword.

Rapier - a longer European dueling sword, optimized more for thrusting than for a slashing action.

Small-sword - a very short and light descendant of the rapier, designed mostly for court use during the 18th and 19th centuries

Claymore (Gaelic Claidheamh Mòr, meaning "great sword") - either of two types of Scottish sword; an older two-handed design used as an anti-cavalry weapon, and a more modern blade, famous as the "basket-hilted" claymore.

Épée, French for "sword", in English refers to the modern equivalent of the duelling sword.

Asian swords

Dao (pinyin dāo) - a Chinese single-edged curved sword, sometimes translated as sabre or broadsword in English.

Jian (pinyin jiąn) - a Chinese double-edged thin straight sword.

Saingeom - ancient style of korean sword with a 90-centimeter (35 inch) long hammered blade from the Joseon dynasty. As many as 20 steps and craftsmen went into the manufacture of saingeom swords

Hwandudaedo ancient Korean sword from the Three Kingdoms era (4th to mid-7th centuries), exported from Korea to Japan before the 6th century. Numerous copies of this Korean long sword with a round handle have survived in Japan.

Katana and Tachi - Japanese samurai swords - see also Wakizashi and tanto.

Kampilan - Ancient Filipino sword. Traditionally, the kampilan measures about 40 to 44 inches in length, with a carved hilt, a single edge, and a pommel in the shape of “crocodile jaws.” The tip varies with spike or split teeth. Its cutting force compares with that of the Japanese katana.

Barong - a sword of the Tausugs of the southern Philippines that looks like an oversize and elongated leaf. The width of the blade make it more suitable for cutting than for thrusting.

Bolo - The most basic and widely-used sword in the Philippines, based on an agricultural machete. Typically, the bolo features rough and unfinished blades due to agricultural use. Variations include Tabak (more for cutting), and Tusok (more pointed, for thursting)

Pinute - a Filipino sword: long, straight, and well-balanced. It represents a variation on the agricultural bolo machete. The Visayan warriors of Cebu favour it.

Kris - Kris swords apparently originated in the 13th century on the island of Java in the Indonesian archipelago, and migrated to the Philippines, Malaysia, and various Southeast Asian countries.

Korambit - The Korambit developed in the Indonesian archipelago around the 13th century from roots in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Talibon - A short sword of the Christian community in the Phillipines. Its wooden grip has cane binding.