Zwerchau

Thwart Cut

The term 'zwerch' is broadly translated as “thwart”, though modern English speakers might find this confusing. The term doesn’t specifically refer to the verb “to thwart”, as in “I thwarted his evil plans”, but rather has strong relation to the archaic usage of thwart, as in across the line of something - as in “he lay the athwart the opening”. Thus we readily see the implementation of the thwart strike - it is performed “across” the target’s line. It can also be seen to have its roots in the latin word torque - to twist, and the twisting motion is certainly what gives the Zwerchau its distinctive look and feel.

15th Century

Entry incomplete

16th Century

In Meyer's text this is written as the Zwerch.