{ Scim"i*ter , Scim"i*tar } (?), n.
[F. cimeterre, cf. It.
scimitarra, Sp. cimitarra; fr. Biscayan cimetarra with
a sharp edge; or corrupted from Per. shimshīr.]
1. A saber with a
much curved blade having the edge on the convex side, -- in use among
Mohammedans, esp., the Arabs and
persians. [Written also cimeter, and scymetar.]
2. A long-handled billhook. See Billhook.
Scimiter pods (Bot.), the immense curved woody pods of a leguminous woody climbing plant (Entada
scandens) growing in tropical India and America. They contain hard round flattish seeds two inches in diameter, which are made into
boxes.
Hear it pronounced