Quillon

Holonym: hilt

The Sword of State which is carried before the King at the opening of Parliament is quite a different weapon. It is a long, two-handed sword, with a gold hilt and quillion, and is encased in a crimson velvet scabbard. […] The quillion of the sword is formed of an elongated lion on one side, and a similarly maltreated unicorn on the other.

The guard [of the cavalry officers' saber] consists of a knuckle-bow bent in the stirrup pattern. The bow gradually expands until it makes it turn up towards the blade. At that point it swells rapidly to form a broad quillon, and a branch swings out in a full semi-circle on the obverse side, joining the quillon again at its tip above the blade. A single bar connects the branch and the quillon opposite the upper edge of the grips.

'You will remark the short quillion on this piece,' he added, touching the sword crosspiece. 'More to your sea tastes, I believe. And the grips—for a fighting sword we have ivory, filigree—'

Holonyms: crossguard, guard < hilt

The guard against the cut is technically called the cross[-]guard[…]. This section is composed of one or more bars projecting from the hilt between tang and blade, and receiving the edge of the adversary's weapon should it happen to glance or to glide downwards. The quillons may be either straight[…]—that is, disposed at right angles—or curved[…].

With regard to the quillons, it was obvious that with slight alteration they might be made to protect the hand very much more than they did in their straight condition. Accordingly, one branch was soon curved towards the pummel so as to protect the knuckles, and in such a case, for the sake of symmetry, the other branch was turned similarly towards the point.

[T]he simpler form of sword, with plain quillions, gives way to the more graceful rapier, or the English broadsword, with circular hand-guard.