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Finally, the Romans made the gladius—sharp, of highly-tempered steel, and strongly piercing—the first real sword (Figs. 17, 18, 19), of which only five specimens are now known to exist.
2007, Pat Southern, The Roman Army: A Social and Institutional History, page 212:
The gladius was effective either for cutting or for thrusting and was used by legionaries and auxiliaries.
From the Cretaceous of North America fossilised gladii in the enigmatic genus Tusoteuthis have been estimated to give a mantle length (body size) of 1.8m, just less than that of the giant squid’s.
“gladius”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“gladius”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
gladius in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
gladius in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
a sword hangs over his neck: gladius cervicibus impendet
to use javelins at a distance, swords at close quarters: eminus hastis, comminus gladiis uti
to draw one's sword (from the scabbard): gladium educere (e vagīna)
to sheath one's sword: gladium in vaginam recondere
to draw one's sword: gladium stringere, destringere
to plunge one's sword in some one's breast: gladium alicui in pectus infigere
to transfix, pierce a man's breast with one's sword: gladio aliquem per pectus transfigere (Liv. 2. 46)
to fight with swords at close quarters: gladio comminus (opp. eminus) rem gerere
to throw down the javelins (pila) and fight with the sword: omissis pilis gladiis rem gerere
swords must now decide the day: res ad gladios vēnit
swords must now decide the day: res gladiis geri coepta est
to throw oneself on the enemy with drawn sword: strictis gladiis in hostem ferri
“gladius”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
“gladius”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
^ De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 263
