plowshare

The word "plowshare" is a transparent English compound formed from two native Germanic elements. The first element, "plow," names the farming implement, while the second, "share," originally meant "a cutting blade" in Old English, related to the verb "to shear." Literally, it is the "cutting part of the plow." This term is famously known from the biblical phrase "beat swords into plowshares," symbolizing the transformation of instruments of war into tools for peaceful cultivation. The word's logic is entirely literal, directly describing the functional component of the agricultural tool.

Structure: plow + share plow: From Old English plōh, a Germanic base meaning a piece of land or the agricultural implement. In this compound, it refers to the implement. share: From Old English scear, scær, meaning "cutting" or "plowshare," derived from a Germanic root meaning "to cut."