"""kilij"" became the dominant sword form. The Iranian ""shamshir"" was created during the Turkic Seljuk Empire period of Iran. The term ""saif"" in Arabic can refer to any Middle Eastern (or North African, South Asian) curved sword. The Arabic word might be derived from the ancient Greek ""xiphos"", but not necessarily as it may have entered Arabic from another source, as both ""saif"" and ""xiphos"" go back to an old (Bronze Age) wanderwort of the eastern Mediterranean, of unknown ultimate origin. Richard F. Burton derives both words from the Egyptian ""sfet"". The English term scimitar is attested from the mid-16th"
"""scimitarra"") is a type of saber that came to refer in general to any sabre used by the Turks or Ottomans (""kilij""), Persians (""shamshir"") and more specifically the ""Stradioti"" (Albanian and Greek mercenaries who fought in the French-Italian Wars and were employed throughout Western Europe). The scimitar proper was the ""Stradioti"" saber, and the term was introduced into France by Philippe de Commines (1447 – 18 October 1511) as ""cimeterre"", Italy (especially the Venetian Republic who hired the ""stradioti"" as mercenaries) as ""scimitarra"", and England as ""cimeter"" or scimitar via the French and Italian terms. Classification of swords The English"
"Scimitar babbler The scimitar babblers are birds in the genera "" Pomatorhinus"" and ""Jabouilleia"" of the large Old World babbler family of passerines. These are birds of tropical Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in hills of the Himalayas. Scimitar babblers are rangy, medium-sized, floppy-tailed land birds with soft fluffy plumage. They have strong legs and are quite terrestrial. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. Scimitar babblers have long downcurved bills, used to work through the leaf litter, which give the group its name. They are typically"
"""talwar"" is a sword similar to the shamshir, with the exception of a broader blade, mild curve and a disk shaped pommel which provides a very secure grip. The sword is made from very hard wootz steel. The word ""tulwar"" literally means ""sword"" in Urdu/Hindi. The tulwar is unusual in that it can be used for thrusting as well as cutting. The ""kilij"" is a scimitar used by the Turks and the Ottoman Empire; it appeared around the 15th century. The kilij is a unique kind of scimitar that has a slight taper down the straight of the blade until"
"Sympitar A Sympitar is a modern form of guitar combining functional aspects of the guitar and the Indian sitar. This instrument has a unique feature: there is a graphite channel which guides a series of ""sympathetic"" resonating strings through the neck from the bridge up to the headstock. These strings vibrate or resonate against a ""jiwari"" bridge, which produces the sustaining drone typically associated with Indian music. The instrument(s) also have at least 6 standard guitar strings which traverse the length of the neck just as they do for a standard steel-string acoustic guitar. Depending on the notes played and"
"Indian scimitar babbler The Indian scimitar babbler (""Pomatorhinus horsfieldii"") is an Old World babbler. It is found in peninsular India in a range of forest habitats. They are most often detected by their distinctive call which is an antiphonal duet produced by pairs within small groups. They are often hard to see as they forage through dense vegetation. The long curve yellow, scimitar-shaped bills give them their name. It has been treated in the past as subspecies of the white-browed scimitar babbler which is found along the Himalayas but now separated into two species, the peninsular Indian species and the"
"Sri Lanka scimitar babbler The Sri Lanka scimitar babbler or Ceylon scimitar babbler (""Pomatorhinus melanurus"") is an Old World babbler. It is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka, and was formerly treated as a subspecies of Indian scimitar babbler. The nominate form is found in the western part of wet hill regions of Sri Lanka, while race ""holdsworthi"" is found in the dry lowlands and eastern hills. Most scimitar babbler species are referred as ""parandel kurulla"" by the Sinhala speaking community. The term 'parandel' refers to dried grass and probably refers to the color of the bird. The vernacular"
"Cimeter A cimeter or scimitar is a large, curved butcher's knife, with a blade typically 8-14"" (20-35 cm) long. It is used primarily for cutting large pieces of meat into retail cuts such as steaks. These knives are available with and without ""Granton edge"". According to Webstaurant Store, a major supplier to the food industry, ""Granton edge knives feature hollowed out sections running along both sides of the blade. When slicing meat, the grooves fill with fat and juices, which permits less contact between the meat and blade. Granton edge knives are often preferred when slicing thin portions of poultry,"
"roasts, or ham."" 'Cimeter' is a formerly common variant spelling of 'scimitar', a kind of curved sword. The spelling 'cimeter' has become standard for the knife. In The Book of Mormon, the term ""cimeter"" is used often to describe a weapon of war. Cimeter A cimeter or scimitar is a large, curved butcher's knife, with a blade typically 8-14"" (20-35 cm) long. It is used primarily for cutting large pieces of meat into retail cuts such as steaks. These knives are available with and without ""Granton edge"". According to Webstaurant Store, a major supplier to the food industry, ""Granton edge"
"Simantra Simantra (or semantron or in Romanian Toacă) is an Eastern Orthodox percussion instrument used in liturgical service and is either a wooden or metal slab or bar that is mounted or suspended and struck with a mallet. The Simantra has been used by classical composers including Iannis Xenakis (""Persephassa"") and in Michael Gordon's ""Timber"" (2011). A Simantra is rich in overtones compared to the bars of percussion instruments such as a marimba or xylophone, where the fundamental is primary. The tone changes based on how near or far from the nodes the mallets strike the board. For the history"
"Sintir The sintir (), also known as the Guembri (), Gimbri or Hejhouj, is a three stringed skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carved from a log and covered on the playing side with camel skin. The camel skin has the same acoustic function as the membrane on a banjo. The neck is a simple stick with one short and two long goat strings that produce a percussive sound similar to a pizzicato cello or double bass. The goat gut strings are plucked downward with the"
"Sintir The sintir (), also known as the Guembri (), Gimbri or Hejhouj, is a three stringed skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carved from a log and covered on the playing side with camel skin. The camel skin has the same acoustic function as the membrane on a banjo. The neck is a simple stick with one short and two long goat strings that produce a percussive sound similar to a pizzicato cello or double bass. The goat gut strings are plucked downward with the"
"Rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler (""Pomatorhinus erythrogenys"") is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family native to South-East Asia. ""Pomatorhinus erythrogenys"" has a number of recognized subspecies: The species is olive-brown above with rusty coluring on the sides of the face, head, thighs, and flanks. The belly is mostly white. Sexes are alike. The beak is long and decurved in a scimitar shape. The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler is found from the Himalayas to Myanmar. It inhabits habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests at elevations up to 2600 m."
"of the instrument, see the much more detailed article for the Semantron. Simantra Simantra (or semantron or in Romanian Toacă) is an Eastern Orthodox percussion instrument used in liturgical service and is either a wooden or metal slab or bar that is mounted or suspended and struck with a mallet. The Simantra has been used by classical composers including Iannis Xenakis (""Persephassa"") and in Michael Gordon's ""Timber"" (2011). A Simantra is rich in overtones compared to the bars of percussion instruments such as a marimba or xylophone, where the fundamental is primary. The tone changes based on how near or"
"Scimitarbill Scimitarbills (also spelt scimitar-bills) are three species of African bird belonging to the genus Rhinopomastus. They are often classified in the woodhoopoe family, Phoeniculidae; however, genetic studies show that they diverged from the true woodhoopoes about 10 million years ago and so they are sometimes placed in a family of their own, the Rhinopomastidae. They are smaller than most woodhoopoes and their bills are strongly curved like a scimitar, giving them their name. They are mostly glossy black in colour with a few white markings on the wings. While other woodhoopoes are gregarious birds which gather in flocks, the"
"of Shamshir (which in turn means ""curved like the lion's claw"" in Persian) the word has been used to mean ""sword"" since ancient times, as attested by Middle Persian ""shamshir"" (Pahlavi ""šmšyl""), and the Ancient Greek σαμψήρα / ""sampsēra"" (glossed as ""foreign sword""). ""Shamshir"" is usually taken to be the root of the word scimitar, the latter being a more inclusive term. Shamshir A shamshir () is a type of Persian sword with a radical curve. The name is derived from ""shamshīr"", which means ""sword"" (in general). The curved sword family includes the shamshir, scimitar, talwar, kilij, pulwar and sabre."
"name of the bird ""parandel kurulla"" roughly translates to English as 'dried-grass colored bird'. This bird appears in a 4.50 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp. Sri Lanka scimitar babbler The Sri Lanka scimitar babbler or Ceylon scimitar babbler (""Pomatorhinus melanurus"") is an Old World babbler. It is endemic to the island of Sri Lanka, and was formerly treated as a subspecies of Indian scimitar babbler. The nominate form is found in the western part of wet hill regions of Sri Lanka, while race ""holdsworthi"" is found in the dry lowlands and eastern hills. Most scimitar babbler species are referred as"
"tropical Asian jungle. The genera are: Scimitar babbler The scimitar babblers are birds in the genera "" Pomatorhinus"" and ""Jabouilleia"" of the large Old World babbler family of passerines. These are birds of tropical Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in hills of the Himalayas. Scimitar babblers are rangy, medium-sized, floppy-tailed land birds with soft fluffy plumage. They have strong legs and are quite terrestrial. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. Scimitar babblers have long downcurved bills, used to work through the leaf litter, which give the"
"Sitar The sitar ( or ; सितार, Punjabi: ਸਿਤਾਰ, ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument flourished under the Mughals, and it is named after a Persian instrument called the setar (meaning ""three strings""). The sitar flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries and arrived at its present form in 18th-century India. It derives its distinctive timbre and resonance from sympathetic strings, bridge design, a long hollow neck and a gourd-shaped resonance chamber. In appearance, the sitar is similar to the tanpura, except that it has frets. Used widely"
"have long down-curved yellow bills, used to work through the leaf litter in search of their food which is mainly insects and berries. They can be difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer, but like many other babblers, these are noisy birds, and the characteristic bubbling calls are often the best indication that these birds are present. The call itself consists of a loud fluty ""oop-pu-pu-pu"" followed immediately by a ""krukru"". The second note is produced by the female and the duet is accurately synchronized. Leucistic plumages have been recorded. It is the only scimitar babbler in Peninsular"
"scimitar gave primacy to hacking and slashing techniques rather than the thrust. Sword fencing and sword dances are still practiced in much of the Middle East. In countries like Oman the weapon is typically paired with a shield or sometimes a dagger, of which many varieties exist. In styles such as Turkish scimitar combat, the scabbard is also used as a parrying weapon. In modern Iran, traditional Persian armed combat called ""razmafzar"" is currently being reconstructed. At present, sword training includes the single sword, two swords, and the sword with a shield. Western swordsmanship Amberger, J. Christoph. ""The Secret History"
"Duitara Duitara (called as ""Ka Duitara"") is a four-stringed Khasi and Jaintia folk musical instrument of Meghalaya that resembles a guitar. The term seems similar to the dotara instrument played in the neighboring states of Assam and West Bengal. The duitara consists of strong hard wood, the hollow in the belly of its main body is coated with dried animal skin, and its neck has at its end four holes in which wooden pegs hold the strings in tune. The strings are made of 'muga' silk. The folk musician Skendrowell Syiemlieh was an accomplished artist of this instrument. Duitara is"
"normally continued into a 3rd quillion. These swords bear strong resemblances to the neighboring Arab. Nimcha A Nimcha is a single-handed sword from northwestern Africa, especially Morocco and the western part of Algeria, a type of scimitar or ""saif"". These blades are usually from the late 18th century onwards and are notable for often using older blades. With this variety of possible blade designs nimcha are distinct with the hilts that sport forward pointing quillions, and wooden handles with squared off ""hooked"" pommels. The cross guard will often have a knuckle guard which starts beneath the quillions and runs to"
"Semantron The semantron or semandron (), or semanterion (σημαντήριον), also called a xylon (ξύλον) (; Russian: било, ""bilo""; Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian: клепало, ""klepalo""; Arabic: ناقوس) is a percussion instrument used in monasteries to summon the monastics to prayer or at the start of a procession. The instrument comes in three chief varieties: a long wooden plank held in the player's left hand and struck with a wooden mallet in the right; a larger, heavier, fixed timber block suspended by chains and struck by one or two mallets; and a fixed metal variety, often horseshoe-shaped and struck by a metal mallet."
"a plectrum. This instrument is similar to a Psaltery, Dulcimer or Cymbalom. Note: The German word Zimbel is cymbal (music), while Zimbal is Cymbalom. Zimber Zimber used as a surname and believed to be Germanic but the meaning is undefined. Used as a surname in Eastern Europe since the 17th Century. Zimber may be a variant of the German word Kimber or members of a historic second century Germanic ethnic group. Now called the Cimbri. Kimber (name) is also a forename and surname. Zimber and Zimmer is a German exonym for Cembra and related to the Cimbri ancestry. Zimber may"
"have developed conceptually similar instruments under other names such as ""strumstick"" and ""pickin' stick"". Dulcitar The dulcitar is a variant of the Appalachian dulcimer, which retains the dulcimer's diatonic fret layout yet features a long neck that is intended to be played upright in the guitar style rather than flat across the lap. Luthier Homer Ledford coined the word dulcitar as a portmanteau of dulcimer and guitar, building his first model of the instrument around 1971. One of Ledford's dulcitars was accepted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as displayed in a traveling exhibit on American"
"Shamshir A shamshir () is a type of Persian sword with a radical curve. The name is derived from ""shamshīr"", which means ""sword"" (in general). The curved sword family includes the shamshir, scimitar, talwar, kilij, pulwar and sabre. A ""shamshir shekargar"" ( ""shamshir-e shekârgar""; literally, ""hunters' sword"" or ""hunting sword"") is the same as a ""shamshir"", except the blade is engraved and decorated, usually with hunting scenes. Originally Persian swords were straight and double edged. The curved scimitar blades were Central Asian in origin. Shamshirs began to appear in Persia in the 9th century, when these weapons were used by"
"total of 42 strings Khim The khim (, ; Khmer: ឃឹម ""Khum"") is a stringed musical instrument derived from the Persian Santur. It is similar to the Hammered Dulcimer or Cimbalom. This ""khim"" was introduced to Cambodia, Laos and Thailand from China, where a similar (though, since the late 20th century, usually larger) instrument is called ""yangqin"" It is played with two flexible bamboo sticks with soft leather at the tips to produce a soft tone. This instrument can be played by either sitting down on the floor with the khim on the floor, or by sitting on a chair"
"Armenia, China, Greece, India, etc. The Indian santoor is wider, more rectangular and has more strings. Its corresponding mallets are also held differently played with a different technique. The eastern European version of the santur called the ""cimbalom"", which is much larger and chromatic, is used to accompany Romani music. The Iraqi santur (also santour, santoor ) () is a hammered dulcimer of Mesopotamian origin. It is a trapezoid box zither with a walnut body and ninety two steel (or bronze) strings. The strings, tuned to the same pitch in groups of four, are struck with two wooden mallets called"
"The bird feeds mostly on the forest floor and in low canopy, forming small groups. Food items include insects, grubs and seeds. Calls consist of a mellow, fluty whistle, a two-noted """"CUE..PE...CUE..pe"""" call followed by single note replay by mate, guttural alarm calls and a liquid contact note. The species is generally quite noisy. Rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler (""Pomatorhinus erythrogenys"") is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family native to South-East Asia. ""Pomatorhinus erythrogenys"" has a number of recognized subspecies: The species is olive-brown above with rusty coluring on the sides of the face, head, thighs,"
"Sri Lanka scimitar babbler (""Pomatorhinus melanurus""). The most distinctive feature of this 22 cm long bird is the long down-curved yellow bill which is blackish at the base of the upper mandible. It has a striking head pattern, with a long white supercilum above a broad black band through the eye. The white throat and breast contrast with the dark greyish brown on the upperside and dark grey to black on most of the underside. The tail is broad, long and graduated. They have short, round wings and being weak fliers are rarely seen flying in the open. Indian scimitar-babblers"
"as an accompaniment to Bhangra dancers and singers of traditional Indian hymns. The late Alam Lohar is famous for playing this instrument and introducing it to global audiences. Today, musicians like Kamal Heer and Arif Lohar play this instrument. Also known as the ""rusty tambourine sword"", the chimta has been played by members of the experimental rock band His Name Is Alive on recent tours. Chimta Chimta (, Shahmukhī: ) literally means tongs. Over time it has evolved into a traditional instrument of South Asia by the permanent addition of small brass jingles. This instrument is often used in popular"
"Appalachian dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of the fingerboard, and its fretting is generally diatonic. The Appalachian dulcimer has many variant names. Most often it is simply called a dulcimer (also rendered as ""dulcimore"", ""dulcymore"", ""delcimer"", ""delcimore"", ""etc.""). When it needs to be distinguished from the unrelated hammered dulcimer, various adjectives are added (drawn from location, playing style, position, shape, etc.), for example: mountain dulcimer; Kentucky"