noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/ɡleɪv/
General-American, Received-Pronunciation:glāv
Received-Pronunciation:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪv
1
noun
Meaning 1
A light lance with a long, sharp-pointed head.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade fixed on the end, the edge of which is on the outside curve.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A sword, particularly a broadsword.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, broadly, poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English gleyve (“lance, glaive”), from Old French glaive (“lance; sword”), from Late Latin glavus. The further etymology is uncertain; one possibility is that glavus reflects Latin gladius (“sword”) crossed with clāva (“club”); another is that it derives from a re-crossing of gladius with Proto-Celtic *kladiwos (“sword”); yet another is that it is a borrowing into Late Latin from Old Irish claideb. All of the aforementioned words derive ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh2- (“to beat; to break”). The Oxford English Dictionary notes that none of these words had the oldest meaning of Old French glaive (“lance”). The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch glavie, glaye (“lance”); Middle High German glavîe, glævîn (“lance”), Swedish glaven (“lance”).
Across languages
Translations
47 source translations are retained for this English entry.
German:
Lanze
— light lance
German:
Pike
— light lance
German:
Speer
— light lance
Middle English:
gleyve
— light lance
Polish:
glewia
— light lance
Swedish:
glav
— light lance
Old Armenian:
սուր
(sur)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Old Armenian:
սուսեր
(suser)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Belarusian:
глевія
(hljevija)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Breton:
kleze
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Bulgarian:
глефа
(glefa)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Chinese Mandarin:
長柄刀 /长柄刀
(chángbǐngdāo)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Czech:
gléva
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Czech:
kůsa
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Esperanto:
fuŝardo
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
French:
glaive
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
French:
épée tranchante
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Galician:
cardeña
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Galician:
bisarma
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
German:
Gläfe f, Gleve f)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
German:
Fauchard
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Ido:
glavo
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Italian:
falcione
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Japanese:
グレイブ
(gureibu)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Japanese:
長刀
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Japanese:
眉尖刀
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Japanese:
薙刀
(naginata)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Korean:
글레이브
(geulleibeu)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Lithuanian:
gleivas
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Macedonian:
глејв
(glejv)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Middle English:
gleyve
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Persian:
کتاره
(kattâre)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Persian:
بلارک
(balârak)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Polish:
glewia
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Portuguese:
bisarma
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Russian:
гле́фа
(gléfa)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Russian:
гле́вия
(glévija)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Serbo-Croatian:
глејв
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Slovene:
glefa
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Spanish:
guja
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Spanish:
lanza
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Swedish:
glav
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Ukrainian:
гле́фа
(hléfa)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Ukrainian:
гле́ва
(hléva)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
Ukrainian:
гле́вія
(hlévija)
— weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade
