Cut and thrust sword

A cut and thrust sword is a sword used to deliver both cutting/slicing and piercing blows. Typically it had an unsharpened ricasso in front of the crossguard allowing a different grip where the index finger sits of the top of the crossguard and permitted greater control during a thrust.

The blades of these swords were typically wide shouldered and tapered to a sharp point. At times part of the blade might have a diamond section and the other a fuller.

Cut and thrust swords were developed in the 14th century and existed in many forms over the next three hundren years.