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Many of the terms most commonly used are French or Italian because of the strong influence of France and Italy on the history of the sport. On occasion, some referees like to give instructions in French.
British Fencing has an authoritative glossary at http://www.britishfencing.com/British_Fencing.asp?PageID=118.
What appears below is the web manager's interpretation!
A droit [Fr. To the right]
The referee awards the point to the fencer on his right
A gauche [Fr. To the left]
The referee awards the point to the fencer on his left
A la coquille [Fr. On the guard]
The referee calls a hit on the guard invalid
Absence of blade
Blades not in contact, not in Engagement
Advance
A forward movement by any means from a short step to a Balestra
Advertissement [Fr. Warning] see Yellow card
Aids
The last three fingers of the sword hand
Aller [Fr. Go]
Commands the fencers to begin their duel
Analysis
Review of the moves preceding a halt in a fencing bout to determine who has scored the point
Angulated thrust
A thrust made by angling the blade angled towards the target as the hand is moved away from the opponent's blade
Angulation [Caver, Fr.]
Angling the blade towards the target as the hand is moved away from the opponent's blade
Annulé [Fr. Annulled]
The referee annuls a hit
Appuntata [It.]
A Remise from the lunge position with a tap of the front foot on the floor. A renewed attack consisting of a stop thrust or time thrust into an anticipated delayed riposte--an immediate continuation of the attack
Armourer
An individual responsible for checking and repairing equipment
Appel [Fr. Alarm or Summons]
A rap with the front foot, to menace or distract an opponent; a double rap, however, constitutes a request to the referee to halt play
Arrêt [Fr. Stop]
A stop thrust or stop cut
Arrêtez [Fr. Halt]
Command to the fencers to stop the contest
Attack
An offensive move or sequence of moves initiated by extending the sword arm and blade in line towards the target
Attack into Preparation
An offensive move made while your opponent is preparing to attack
Attaque [Fr. Attack] see Attack
Attack au Fer [Fr. Attacking the blade]
An attack that begins by deflecting the opponent's blade as in a beat attack or a glide
Au bras [Fr. On the arm]
The referee discounts a hit because it is not on a valid target
Au masque [Fr. On the mask]
The referee discounts a hit because it is not on a valid target
Balestra [It.]
A jump forward beginning with the leading foot to gain ground before an attack
Bayonet
One of two common types of electrical connector for weapons
Beat [Battement, Fr.]
A sharp strike with the middle or foible against the foible of the opponent's blade to deflect it before making an attack
Bell or Bell-guard
The guard; the padding inside the guard is generally called the bell-pad
Bind
An action in which the opponent's blade is taken diagonally across the target
Black Card
A formal notice of a serious offence in a formal competition, usually resulting in disqualification, see also Red card, Yellow card
Body wire
Electrical wiring connecting your blade and lame to the scoring equipment
Bon [Fr. Good]
The referee says this to confirm that a hit is valid
Bout
A contest between two fencers
Broadsword
A military sword and fencing weapon popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, similar to a heavy sabre; any straight-bladed, double-edged, single-handed cutting sword of the post-medieval period
Break Time
Pausing between two movements so as to change the tempo of the action and catch an opponent off guard
Button
The rubber (practice) or metal (electric) safety tip on the end of the sword
Cadence
The rhythm of a fencer's movements
Change of engagement
Engagement of the opponent's blade in a different line by executing a circular movement of the blade
Change of line
Changing line from high to low or inside to outside or vice versa
Circular parry [Counter-Parry]
Defensive movement executed by making a small circle with the point of the weapon around the opponent's blade
Closing in [corps à corps, Fr.]
An infringement of the rules of engagement that occurs when blade guards or fencers' bodies come into contact with each other, resulting in a penalty in foil or sabre
Composed attack, Composite attack
An attack incorporating a sequence of moves (equally, a riposte can be composite) also called Compound attack
Compound attack, see Composed attack
Contretemps [Fr. Counter time] see Counter time
Conversation
The back-and-forth play of the blades in a fencing match, composed of phrases [Phrases d'armes, Fr.]
punctuated by gaps in which there is no blade action
Coquille
The guard of a foil or épée
Corps-à-corps [Fr. Body-to-body]
Contact between the bodies of the fencers, illegal in foil and sabre competition, and thus halting the action; it may result in a Yellow card reprimand for the competitor deemed at fault
Counter-attack
An attack that answers the opponent's attack, which in foil competition will score only if it begins with a parry
Counter-disengage
A disengage in the opposite direction, to deceive the Counter parry
Counter-parry see Circular parry
Counter-riposte
An attack that follows a parry of the opponent's riposte
Counter-time
An attack that responds to the opponent's counter-attack, typically a riposte following the parry of the counter-attack.
Coulé [Fr. flow] [also Glissade, Glissé, Graze]
An attack or feint that slides along the opponent's blade
Coup d'arret [Fr. Stop thrust] see Stop-thrust
Coup double [Fr. Double hit] see Double touch
Coup lancé [Fr. Launched hit]
An attack that starts before a halt in play but lands after; valid unless time has expired
Coupé [Fr. Cut-over]
An attack or deception that involves lifting your point over your opponent's point and extending your weapon arm so that your point threatens the target
Croisé [Fr. Semi-bind]
Forcing the opponent's blade vertically into the high or low line
Cross [Or Passé, Fr.]
An advance or retreat by crossing one leg over the other:
passé avant (forward cross)
passé arrière (backward cross)
Cut
An attack made with a chopping motion of the blade, landing with the edge or point
Deception
Avoidance of an attempt to engage the blades, see Disengage, Coupé
Degage [Fr. Disengage] see Disengage
Dérobement
Evading an attack on the blade such as the Attack au fer or Prise de fer
Direct attack
An attack that finishes in the same line in which it was formed (similarly, Direct riposte)
Director [President, Referee]
The primary (or, in most cases, the only) official presiding over a fencing bout
Disengage
A break of contact between the blades intended to deceive the opponent by passing the blade under the opponent's blade into a different line
Displacement
Moving the body to avoid an attack, such as by ducking, sidestepping, withdrawing, or dodging by any other means
Double touch [or Double hit]
Both fencers are hit at the same time, the point going to the fencer who has the right of way in foil or sabre
Doublé
An attack or riposte that describes a complete circle around the opponent's blade, and finishes in the
opposite line.
Dry fencing
Fencing without electrical scoring aids
Engagement
Contact of blades, as during a parry, Attack au fer, Prise de fer, or Coulé
En garde [Fr. On guard]
a) the stance that fencers when preparing to fence
b) a referee's command to prepare to fence
En marche [Fr. Advance lunge]
A lunge executed during an advance
Enveloppement [Fr. Envelopment]
A binding movement that carries the opponent's blade through a full circle
Epée
A fencing weapon with triangular cross-section blade and a large bell guard; also a light duelling sword
of similar design, popular in the mid-19th century
Escrime [Fr.]
Fencing
Esquive [Fr. Evasion] see Displacement
False
A feint to draw a predicted response from the opponent
Feint
A move intended to deceive the opponent and open a line of attack by simulating attack in a different line
Fencing measure
The distance between the fencers sufficient to enable them to hit each other when they lunge
Fencing Time [Temps d'escrime, Fr.]
The time required to complete a single fencing action
FIE
Federation Internationale d'Escrime [Fr. International Fencing Federation]
Finta in tempo [It. Feint in time]
A feint of counter-attack that draws a counter-time parry, which is deceived
Flèche [Fr. Arrow or Dart]
A running attack in which a fencer leaps off his leading foot to make up distance, and attempts to make the hit as passes his opponent
Fleuret [Fr. Foil] see Foil
Flick, Flicket
A cut that lands with the point, using the whippiness of the Foible of the blade
Florentine style
A fencing style where a secondary weapon or other instrument is used in the off hand
Flying parry or riposte
A parry with a backward glide and riposte by cut-over
Flynn, Errol
A Hollywood actor famed for his ability to fence while dangling from a chandelier
Foible
The thinnest and weakest part of the blade, the third nearest the tip
Foil
A fencing weapon with rectangular cross-section blade and a small bell-guard
Forte
The thickest and strongest part of the blade, the third nearest the hilt
French Grip
A traditional hilt with a simple, slightly curved grip and a large pommel, ct. Pistol grip, Italian grip, Orthopaedic grip
Froissement [Fr.; Sforzo, It.]
An attack that displaces the opponent's blade by a strong grazing action, rotating the wrist into supination while making a straight thrust
Glide
A gentle forward action in contact with the opponent's blade
Glissé [Fr. slip] see Coulé
Glissade [Fr. slip] see Coulé
Graze see Coulé
Grip
a) [Handle] The part of the hilt between the guard and pommel that fits into the hand
b) [Hold] How you hold the weapon, see Neutral, Pronation, Supination
Guard
a) the defensive posture of a fencer
b) the metal cup or bow that protects the hand
Half-lunge
Used instead of a feint to provoke a response and leave the opponent open to a different kind of attack
Halte [Fr. Halt]
Instructs the fencers to stop fencing
Handle see Grip
Hilt
The handle assembly of a sword, consisting of guard, grip, and pommel
In line
Positioned with the sword arm extended and attacking the target
In quartata [It.]
A counter-attack made with a quarter turn of the body to the inside, sometimes with a side-step, concealing the front but exposing the back
In Time
When a stop-hit arrives at least one Fencing time before the original attack
Indirect
An attack or riposte that finishes in the opposite line to which it was formed, by means of a Disengage or
Coupé
Insistence
Forcing an attack through the parry
Invitation
A movement or posture intended to encourage the opponent to attack an apparent weakness
Italian Grip
A traditional hilt with finger rings and crossbar
Jack-slap [Jaques-slappé, Fr.]
Defeat egregiously,
Jump
An advance or retreat in which both feet move at the same time
Jury
The four officials who watch for hits in a dry fencing bout
Lamé
Electrically conductive jacket worn over the standard foil jacket to operate electric scoring equipmentt hits
Liement [Fr. Bind] see Bind
Line [also Point in line]
The main direction of an attack (eg., high/low, inside/outside), often equated to the parry that must be
made to deflect the attack
Lunge
The basic form of attack, made by extending sword-arm, straightening the rear leg and advancing and landing on the bent front leg
Mal-paré [Fr. bad parry] see Mal-parry
Mal-parry [mal-paré, Fr.]
A parry that fails to prevent the attack from scoring a hit
Manipulators
The thumb and index finger of the sword hand, ct. Aids
Maraging
A special steel used for making blades supposedly stronger than conventional steels
Martingale
A strap optionally used to tie the grip to the wrist
Measure [Distance]
The distance between the fencers
Mesure [Fr. Distance] see Measure
Middle
The middle third of the blade, between Foible and Forte
Neutral
Position of the sword hand with the thumb facing upwards and the palm facing the inwards, towards the body, see Pronation, Supination
Neuvième
Parry #9: blade behind the back, pointing down; alternatively, similar to elevated Sixte
Octave
Parry #8: blade down and to the outside, wrist supinated
Opposition
A straight thrust down the opponent's blade, usually in combination with a disengage
Orthopaedic handle
General term for any variety of pistol grip, see Pistol grip, French grip
Paré [Fr. Parry] see Parry
Parry
A deflection of the attack, made with the forte of one's own blade.
Different kinds of basic parry are distinguished:
#1 Prime: blade down and to the inside, wrist pronated.
#2 Seconde: blade down and to the outside, wrist pronated.
#3 Tierce: blade up and to the outside, wrist pronated
#4 Quarte: blade up and to the inside, wrist supinated
#5 Quinte: blade up and to the inside, wrist pronated
(In sabre, the blade is held above the head to protect from head cuts)
#6 Sixte: blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated
#7 Septime: blade down and to the inside, wrist supinated
#8 Octave: blade down and to the outside, wrist supinated
#9 Neuvième: blade behind the back, pointing down;
See also Circular, Counter, and Semi-circular parries
Pas de touche [Fr. No touch]
The referee declares that there has been no valid hit
Pas valable [Fr. Not valid]
The referee adjudges that a hit was off target
Passé [Fr. Pass]
The passing of the opponent, with or without an attack such as a Flèche or "Russian lunge"
Passata-sotto [It. Low pass]
A lunge made by dropping one hand towards the floor (Note: it is now illegal to touch the floor with the hand)
Pattinando [It. Skating]
An advance-lunge performed with a unified and accelerating cadence using a compound foot action
Phrase, Phrase d'armes [Fr.]
A continuous series of related actions and reactions in a fencing Conversation
Piste [Fr.Path]
The fencing strip, 2m x 14m, on which a fencing bout is fought
Pistol Grip
A modern, orthopaedic grip, shaped to be held more firmly and conveniently than a the traditional French grip ; there are varieties called Belgian, German, Russian, and Visconti.
Plaqué [Fr. Flat] Coup plaqué
A point attack that lands on the flat
Plastron
A partial jacket worn for extra protection
Point
a) a valid Touch
b) the tip of the sword
c) an attack made with the point
Point in Line [or simply Line]
An extended arm and blade that threatens the opponent
Pommel [Pomo, It.; Pomeau, Fr.]
A fastener that attaches the grip to the blade.
Preparation
The preparatory phase of an attack, before right-of-way is established
Presentation
Offering one's blade for engagement by the opponent
President see Director, Referee
Press, pressure
An attempt to push the opponent's blade aside or out of line; depending on the opponent's response, the press is followed by a direct or indirect attack
Prèt [Fr. Ready]
Calls the fencers to prepare to fence
Prime
Parry #1; blade down and to the inside, wrist pronated
Principle of Defence
The use of forte against foible when parrying
Priority [Right of way]
Rules that decide which fencer will be awarded the touch in the event that they both attack simultaneously
Prise de Fer [Fr. Taking the iron]
An engagement of the blades that forces the opponent's weapon into a new line, see Bind, Croisé, Enveloppement, Opposition
Pronation
Position of the sword hand with the palm facing down and the thumb turned inwards, ct. Supination
Quarte
Parry #4; blade up and to the inside, wrist supinated
Quinte
Parry #5; blade up and to the inside, wrist pronated; in sabre fencing, the blade is held above the head to protect from head cuts
Rapier
Longer, heavier precursor of the Foil, but now often used synonymously with it
Rear-lunge
A lunge executed without forward movement, by extending the rear leg and arm into the lunge position
Recover
Return to the En garde position after lunging
Red Card
Used to indicate a rule infringement that results in a point being given to the other fencer
Redoublement [Fr. Redoubling; Radoppio It.]
A new action that follows an attack that missed or was parried, executed by lunging and immediately recovering forward, then lunging again, see also Reprise
Referee [Director, President]
The official presiding over a fencing bout.
Remise [Fr. Replacement]
Immediately renewing an attack that missed or was parried, without withdrawing the arm
Reprise [Fr. Renewal; Ripresa d'attaco, It.]
Renewal of an attack that missed or was parried, after a return to En garde, see also Redoublement
Retreat
Step back; opposite of advance.
Rien [Fr. Nothing]
The referee announces that no hit has been scored
Right-of-way see Priority
Riposte [Fr. Riposte]
A counter-attack made immediately after a parry of the opponent's attack
Sabre
A fencing weapon with a flat blade and knuckle guard, used with cutting or thrusting actions; a military
sword popular in the 18th to 20th centuries; any cutting sword used by cavalry
Salle [Fr. Hall] Salle d'armes
A fencing hall, club or school
Salute
A formal acknowledgement of one's opponent and referee at the start and end of the bout
Scherma [It.]
Fencing
Second Intention
A feint used to draw a response from the opponent and open the way for the intended action that follows.
Seconde
Parry #2; blade down and to the outside, wrist pronated
Semi-circular parry [Mezzo-cercho, It.]
The blade describes an inward semi-circle, like a letter C
Septime
Parry #7; blade down and to the inside, wrist supinated
Simple
An action (attack or riposte) that is completed in one movement, and involves no feints
Simultaneous
In foil and sabre, attacks by both fencers between whom the right-of-way is too close to determine
Sixte
Parry #6; blade up and to the outside, wrist supinated
Small Sword
A light duelling sword popular in the 18th century, precursor to the foil
Stop Hit
A counter-attack that hits;as your opponent begins an action
Stop Cut
A stop-hit with the edge in sabre, typically to the cuff
Stop Thrust
A thrust you make made as your opponent starts an action an attack
Supination
Position of the sword hand with the palm facing up and the thumb turned outwards, ct. Pronation
Tac au Tac [Fr. onomatopoeic; Riposte]
A riposte made immediately after a percussive parry by bouncing forward off the opponent's blade.
Taking the blade
Controlling the opponent's blade
Tang
The part of the blade that passes through the hilt
Three Prong
a) a type of epée body wire/connector
b) an old-fashioned tip that would snag clothing, to make it easier to detect hits in the pre-electric era.
Thrown Point, see Flick
Thrust
Extending the arm and threatening the target with the tip of the weapon
Tierce
Parry #3; blade up and to the outside, wrist pronated
Time Hit
Also time-thrust; old name for Stop hit with Opposition
Touch
A valid hit on the target area of the opponent
Touché [Fr. Hit] see Touch
Trompement [Fr. Deception]
Deception of the parry
Trop bas [Fr. Too low]
The referee adjudges a hit to be off target
Two Prong
A type of body-wire/connector, used in foil and sabre.
Volta [It. Turn]
A turning or rotating of the fencer's body
Whip-over
In sabre, a touch that results from the foible of the blade whipping over the opponent's guard or blade
when parried.
Whites
Fencing clothing.
Yellow Card [Advertissement, Fr.]
Warning of a minor rule infringement by one of the fencers
Zorro
A fictional fencer of redoubtable skill, who finds a place here chiefly to supply an entry for Z.
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