User blog comment:Gundam Legilis/What fighting style do you want to see in RWBY?/@comment-25857155-20150311134424/@comment-25857155-20150311144957

A bastard sword ([]) is described as an "irregular sword or sword of uncertain origin," usually ranging between the lengths of a longsword and shortsword. Sometimes the term was used to refer to swords with a type of compound hilt, but more often a sword longer than a shortsword but shorter than a longsword, sometimes with a hand-and-a-half hilt and crossguard. Alternately, the term was sometimes used to refer to two-handed swords a little on the short side, or elongated one-handed swords.