sabre
part of speech
noun (a sabre, sabres; US spelling saber); verb (sabre — rare)
meaning for a pupil
1) A sabre is a heavy sword with a curved blade and one sharp edge, once used by soldiers on horseback (cavalry). tree →
2) In the sport of fencing, the sabre is one of three weapons (with foil and épée), and points are scored by hitting with the edge or the tip. tree →
3) «Sabre-rattling» means threatening to use force or war to scare others, without actually fighting. tree →
4) A sabre-toothed cat (sabre-toothed tiger) was an extinct big cat with two very long curved teeth. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons sabres were carried by cavalry soldiers and officers; in PE and the Olympics, fencers fight with sabres wearing masks and white suits. In news and citizenship lessons, «sabre-rattling» describes countries making threats. In science lessons about the Ice Age, the sabre-toothed cat (Smilodon) is a famous extinct predator found in tar pits. Phrases: sabre-rattling, sabre-toothed tiger, cavalry sabre, lightsaber.
examples
- The cavalry officer drew his sabre. tree →
- Sabre is the fastest of the three fencing weapons. tree →
- The sabre-toothed cat had teeth as long as a ruler. tree →
- The two countries were accused of sabre-rattling. tree →
- A sabre has a curved blade. tree →
- Fossils of sabre-toothed cats were found in tar pits. tree →
- She won a medal for sabre fencing. tree →
- In «Star Wars» the Jedi fight with lightsabers. tree →
- In vain, however, for the robbers with their sabres soon killed him. tree →
note
Countable: a sabre, sabres. Spelling: «sabre» in UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ and Canada; «saber» in the USA (and in «lightsaber»). Pronounced «SAY-ber». «Sabre-rattling» and «sabre-toothed» take hyphens. Trap: the sabre-toothed «tiger» was not closely related to real tigers.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «sabre» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.