Side sword

In fencing terms, a side sword is a large dagger or main gauche wielded in the off-hand, mainly for the purpose of parrying an opponent's attacks.

Whoever wrote the above statement is absolutely incorrect and should remove it.

A side sword, or spada da lato (Italian) is the generic term for a transitional rapier/complex-hilted double edged sword of the late 15th/16th Century. It is also commonly referred to as a "cut and thrust" sword. Blades vary enormously in their dimensions, but are predominantly wider and heavier than later rapiers to allow for effective cutting as well as thrusting.