sellsword

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sellsword

/ˈsɛlˌsɔːd/ UK
/ˈsɛlˌsɔɹd/ US

Where it comes from

From sell + sword. Compare hired gun.

noun sellswords · sell-sword

usually A mercenary. 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.
Similar: mercenary
broadly, derogatory, figuratively, often Someone who only works for money, in the manner of a mercenary. 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.

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MLA

"sellsword." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sellsword. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

sellsword. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sellsword

Chicago

"sellsword." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sellsword.

BibTeX

@misc{sellsword_2026,
  title = {sellsword},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sellsword},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}