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Word of the Day – Thursday, April 13th |
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EPEE (ay-PAY) A
dueling sword used in fencing
I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but you appear to be unarmed ~ source unknown
An épée is the modern derivative of the original dueling sword, the rapier, used in sport fencing.
The weapon is similar to a foil (compared to a sabre), but has a stiffer, V-shaped blade, has a larger bell guard, and is heavier. The technique however, is completely different. The blade is a concave triangle in cross-section. Épée is French for "sword."
While modern sport fencing has three weapons (foil, épée, and sabre), each a separate event, épée is the only one in which the entire body is a valid target area. Epees are the heaviest of all three weapons.
In most higher-level competitions a grounded metal piste is used to prevent floor hits from registering as touches. Unlike sabre and foil, in épée there are no right-of-way rules regarding attacking; that is, touches are awarded solely on the basis of which fencer makes a touch first, according to the electronic scoring machines. Also, in épée double-touches are allowed, although the touches must be within 40 milliseconds of each other.
Epee is the most popular weapon in fencing throughout the world, though it is common for fencing masters to require students to learn foil first.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Épée".
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