houwdegen

== Dutch == === Etymology === From houwen +‎ degen, calque of German Haudegen. The second sense is probably also borrowed from German. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɦɑu̯ˌdeː.ɣə(n)/ Hyphenation: houw‧de‧gen === Noun === houwdegen m (plural houwdegens, diminutive houwdegentje n) backsword (early modern sabre) [from early 18th c.] swashbuckler, basher (eager but sometimes reckless fighter, violent person) [from late 19th c.] 1880, C. Honigh, "Johan Ludvig Runeberg" (part 2), De Gids, vol. 44, no. 3, page 530.