Obs. Also 6 curtilace, 7 curtelas, -lasse, courtelace, courtlace, courtlas, curtlas. [A variant of coutelace, 16th c. F. coutelas. It is doubtful whether the r represents an earlier l (coultelas, cf. It. coltellaccio), or arises from phonetic corruption, or popular etymology.] A kind of short cutting sword; a cutlass.
1555. Fardle Facions, II. vii. 160. Thei cary in their warres … a curtilace.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. i. I. (1641), 86/1. There springs the Shrub 3 foot above the grass, Which fears the keen edge of the Curtelace.
1611. Cotgr., Coutelas, a Cuttelas, courtelas, or short sword.
1653. H. Cogan, trans. Pinto’s Trav., xv. 46. They sent him a Courtelas of great value.
1677. W. Hubbard, Narrative, I. 126–7. One Davis his Serjeant cut the Bow-string with his Courtlace.
