"sellsword" meaning in All languages combined

See sellsword on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Forms: sellswords [plural]
Etymology: sell + sword. Compare hired gun. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|sell|sword}} sell + sword, {{m|en|hired gun}} hired gun Head templates: {{en-noun}} sellsword (plural sellswords)
  1. (usually fantasy) A mercenary. Tags: usually Categories (topical): Fantasy, Fictional characters, People Synonyms (mercenary): mercenary
    Sense id: en-sellsword-en-noun-EPn79rYW Disambiguation of Fictional characters: 59 41 Disambiguation of People: 59 41 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English exocentric verb-noun compounds Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 60 40 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 83 17 Disambiguation of English exocentric verb-noun compounds: 56 44 Topics: fantasy Disambiguation of 'mercenary': 78 22
  2. (by extension figuratively, often derogatory) Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary. Tags: broadly, derogatory, figuratively, often
    Sense id: en-sellsword-en-noun-caWcUCFi
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: sell-sword

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for sellsword meaning in All languages combined (4.9kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sell",
        "3": "sword"
      },
      "expansion": "sell + sword",
      "name": "compound"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hired gun"
      },
      "expansion": "hired gun",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "sell + sword. Compare hired gun.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sellswords",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "sellsword (plural sellswords)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fantasy",
          "orig": "en:Fantasy",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Genres",
            "Art",
            "Entertainment",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "60 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "56 44",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English exocentric verb-noun compounds",
          "parents": [
            "Exocentric verb-noun compounds",
            "Verb-noun compounds",
            "Exocentric compounds",
            "Verb-object compounds",
            "Compound terms",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 41",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fictional characters",
          "orig": "en:Fictional characters",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 41",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1969, Gardner Francis Fox, “Prologue”, in Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman, reprinted in The First Kothar the Barbarian MEGAPACK, Wildside Press, published 2016",
          "text": "One such warrior was Kothar, cast up by the sea in the northlands of his world, a sellsword and a mercenary, a wencher after the women of his day, a freebooter and a thief, at times, whose sword Frostfire was a magic sword.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1982, Robert Lynn Asprin, “Exercise in Pain”, in Storm Season",
          "text": "Your profession always charges high and never guarantees their work. No sellsword would stay alive if he demanded a sorcerer's terms.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1996, George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire), Bantam Books (2011), pages 367–368",
          "text": "The sellsword scrambled backward, checking each blow, stepping lithely over rock and root, his eyes never leaving his foe. He was quicker, Catelyn saw; the knight's silvered sword never came near to touching him, but his own ugly grey blade hacked a notch from Ser Vadis's shoulder plate.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, \"Chapter 1: The Battle Begins\", developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube",
          "text": "Bandit: It's those fool villagers...They think they can buy a bunch of sellswords to chase us away."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A mercenary."
      ],
      "id": "en-sellsword-en-noun-EPn79rYW",
      "links": [
        [
          "fantasy",
          "fantasy"
        ],
        [
          "mercenary",
          "mercenary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(usually fantasy) A mercenary."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "78 22",
          "sense": "mercenary",
          "word": "mercenary"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "fantasy"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013 April 2, Matt Stewart, “Opinion: Royals poised to make the playoffs”, in Fox 4 (Kansas City), retrieved 2014-11-24",
          "text": "Whenever I see Alcides Escobar make another unbelievable play at shortstop, I can’t help but think we got the better of the deal in the trade for Zack Grienke. The money-hungry Grienke is now pitching for the Dodgers and admits he wanted to play for the team that paid him the most cash. A sellsword. A gunslinger for hire.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 April 28, Greg Howard, “José Mourinho Is The Antichrist: A Closet Liverpool Fan's Lament”, in Deadspin, retrieved 2014-11-24",
          "text": "Soccer is class warfare, a battle between the haves and the have-nots, and those with more money and resources always win. In soccer, The Empire is undefeated. And José Mourinho, the world's greatest sellsword, the man who has discovered nothing in soccer but how to win, is its face.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary."
      ],
      "id": "en-sellsword-en-noun-caWcUCFi",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "money",
          "money"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension figuratively, often derogatory) Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "derogatory",
        "figuratively",
        "often"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "sell-sword"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sellsword"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English compound terms",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English exocentric verb-noun compounds",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "en:Fictional characters",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sell",
        "3": "sword"
      },
      "expansion": "sell + sword",
      "name": "compound"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hired gun"
      },
      "expansion": "hired gun",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "sell + sword. Compare hired gun.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sellswords",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "sellsword (plural sellswords)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Fantasy"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1969, Gardner Francis Fox, “Prologue”, in Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman, reprinted in The First Kothar the Barbarian MEGAPACK, Wildside Press, published 2016",
          "text": "One such warrior was Kothar, cast up by the sea in the northlands of his world, a sellsword and a mercenary, a wencher after the women of his day, a freebooter and a thief, at times, whose sword Frostfire was a magic sword.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1982, Robert Lynn Asprin, “Exercise in Pain”, in Storm Season",
          "text": "Your profession always charges high and never guarantees their work. No sellsword would stay alive if he demanded a sorcerer's terms.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1996, George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire), Bantam Books (2011), pages 367–368",
          "text": "The sellsword scrambled backward, checking each blow, stepping lithely over rock and root, his eyes never leaving his foe. He was quicker, Catelyn saw; the knight's silvered sword never came near to touching him, but his own ugly grey blade hacked a notch from Ser Vadis's shoulder plate.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, \"Chapter 1: The Battle Begins\", developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube",
          "text": "Bandit: It's those fool villagers...They think they can buy a bunch of sellswords to chase us away."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A mercenary."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fantasy",
          "fantasy"
        ],
        [
          "mercenary",
          "mercenary"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(usually fantasy) A mercenary."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "usually"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "fantasy"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English derogatory terms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013 April 2, Matt Stewart, “Opinion: Royals poised to make the playoffs”, in Fox 4 (Kansas City), retrieved 2014-11-24",
          "text": "Whenever I see Alcides Escobar make another unbelievable play at shortstop, I can’t help but think we got the better of the deal in the trade for Zack Grienke. The money-hungry Grienke is now pitching for the Dodgers and admits he wanted to play for the team that paid him the most cash. A sellsword. A gunslinger for hire.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014 April 28, Greg Howard, “José Mourinho Is The Antichrist: A Closet Liverpool Fan's Lament”, in Deadspin, retrieved 2014-11-24",
          "text": "Soccer is class warfare, a battle between the haves and the have-nots, and those with more money and resources always win. In soccer, The Empire is undefeated. And José Mourinho, the world's greatest sellsword, the man who has discovered nothing in soccer but how to win, is its face.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "money",
          "money"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension figuratively, often derogatory) Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "derogatory",
        "figuratively",
        "often"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "mercenary",
      "word": "mercenary"
    },
    {
      "word": "sell-sword"
    }
  ],
  "word": "sellsword"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.