From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcutlasscut‧lass /ˈkʌtləs/ noun [countable] PMWa short sword with a curved blade, used by sailors or pirates in the past
Examples from the Corpus
cutlass• Pangas were the big cutlasses they used for agriculture-and the violent settling of a quarrel.• Some held bloody cutlasses drooping in their hands.• A swarthy fellow with ringlets was taking a slash at her with a heavy cutlass.Origin cutlass (1500-1600) French coutelas, from Old French coutel “knife”, from Latin cultellus 