bilbo
Illustration — A 1600–1650 bilbo with a Solingen blade and a Spanish hilt. The bilbo is a type of 16th century, cut-and-thrust sword or small rapier formerly popular in America. They have well-tempered and flexible blades and were very popular aboard ships, where they were used similarly to a cutlass.
bilbo
Daderot · Self-photographed · Public domain
- Field
- sword · boarding saber
- Region
- Kingdom of Castile
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — A 1600–1650 bilbo with a Solingen blade and a Spanish hilt. The bilbo is a type of 16th century, cut-and-thrust sword or small rapier formerly popular in America. They have well-tempered and flexible blades and were very popular aboard ships, where they were used similarly to a cutlass.
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Authority files
getty · 500022228 · gnd · 134329368 · wikidata · Q776671
In this article
Etymology
Etymology
The term comes from the Basque city of Bilbao, Bilbo in Basque, where the metal (bilbo steel) was extracted and later sent to Toledo, a city in the center of Spain, where these swords were forged and exported to the New World. These swords were also sold to merchants of every European nation, including England.
Bilbo (labana bizkaitarra) is an English catch-all word used to very generally refer to the "utilitarian" cup-hilt swords, found all over America. They usually had a wide, relatively short sturdy and well-tempered blade, were comparatively unadorned, and were considered practical and utilitarian. The grip was often covered with wire, rather than plain nut.
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Kingdom of Castile
Country
bilbo is associated with Kingdom of Castile.
Country
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 134329368, Bilbo.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500022228, Bilbo, Jack.
Unverified · The Getty Research Institute
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q776671: bilbo
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 134329368, Bilbo.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedauthority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500022228, Bilbo, Jack.The Getty Research Institute
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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