<P> Also of note, side - swords used in conjunction with bucklers became so popular that it caused the term swashbuckler to be coined . This word stems from the new fighting style of the side - sword and buckler which was filled with much "swashing and making a noise on the buckler". </P> <P> Within the Ottoman Empire, the use of a curved sabre called the Yatagan started in the mid-16th century . It would become the weapon of choice for many in Turkey and the Balkans . </P> <P> The sword in this time period was the most personal weapon, the most prestigious, and the most versatile for close combat, but it came to decline in military use as technology, such as the crossbow and firearms changed warfare . However, it maintained a key role in civilian self - defence . </P> <P> A single - edged type of sidearm used by the Hussites was popularized in 16th - century Germany under its Czech name Dusack, also known as Säbel auf Teutsch gefasst ("sabre fitted in the German manner"). A closely related weapon is the schnepf or Swiss sabre used in Early Modern Switzerland . </P>

When was the term melee weapon first used