English▸ noun a heavy cavalry sword with a curved blade and a single cutting edge.
▪ a light fencing sword with a tapering blade.
▪ historical a cavalry soldier and horse.
▸ verb [with object] archaic cut down or wound with a saber:
the people were fired on and sabered.
– ORIGIN late 17th century : from French, alteration of obsolete sable, from German Sabel (local variant of Säbel), from Hungarian szablya.