Advance: To step forward.
Attack: The initial
offensive action made by extending the sword arm and
continuously threatening the valid target of the opponent
Beat: A sharp tap
on an opponent's blade to initiate
or threaten an attack.
Black card: A card
from the referee signifying a fencer
has been expelled.
Bout: A contest
in its entirety between two fencers.
Centre line: A line
across the piste, or field of play,
dividing it into two equal halves.
Compound: An attack
or counterattack involving several
moves.
Corps-a-corps: A
move involving body contact, where
two fencers are engaged in a way
that allows neither to use his or
her weapon.
Counter-Attack: an
attack made against the right-of-way, or in response
to the opponent’s attack.
Counter-parry: A defensive
move where a fencer makes a circular
movement around the opponent's blade
and moves it away.
Cut: An attack
made with a chopping motion of the blade, landing with
the edge or point.
Disengage: To break
contact between blades, done by one
fencer passing his or her blade under
the opponent's blade.
Double hit: Successful
contact with the sword by both fencers
within .04 of a second, counted only
in epee competition.
En garde: French
for "on guard", the position
that fencers take before a bout begins
or after a break in the action.
Engage: To make
contact blade-to-blade.
Epee: A fencing
weapon with triangular cross-section blade and a large
bell guard; also a light dueling sword of similar design,
popular in the mid 19th century.
Feint: A false attack
designed to force an opponent into
a reaction that opens the way to a
genuine attack.
FIE: Federation
Internationale d’Escrime, the world governing body
of fencing.
Fleche: A running
attack.
Foil: A fencing
weapon with rectangular cross-section blade and a small
bell guard; any sword that has been buttoned to render
it less dangerous for practice.
Hit: A point scored
by a touch with the tip of the blade
or, in sabre, the edge of the blade
against any part of the opponent's
body in the target area.
Lame: a metallic
vest/jacket used to detect valid touches in foil or sabre
Lunge: The basic attack
in fencing where a fencer closes the
distance between foes by moving the
front leg forward while the back leg
remains stationary and straightens
out.
Octave: The eighth
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
One-metre penalty: A
penalty where the action is moved
a metre further back on the piste
for the offending fencer before a
bout is restarted.
On-guard line: A
line on each side of the centre line
where a fencer stands to begin or
resume a bout after a hit has been
awarded.
Parry: A defensive
action where a fencer blocks the
opponent's blade.
Penalty hit: A hit
credited to a fencer when the opponent
commits an offence after a warning.
Plastron: Protective
clothing worn under a fencer's jacket.
Prime: The first
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Quarte: The fourth
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Quinte: The fifth
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Recover: To return
to the en garde position after lunging.
Red card: A card
from the referee signifying a penalty
hit has been charged against a fencer
for a rules violation.
Redouble: To attack
an opponent a second time after the
opponent fails to counterattack.
Remise: To attack
again immediately after the opponent
has blocked an initial attack.
Right of way: A
rule established to eliminate virtually
simultaneous attacks between two
fencers in foil or sabre by allowing
a referee to determine who was on
offence at that moment and had "right
of way" to score a point.
Riposte: A counterattack
by a fencer who just has blocked
an attack by the opponent with a
parry.
Sabre: A fencing
weapon with a flat blade and knuckle guard, used with
cutting or thrusting actions; a military sword popular
in the 18th to 20th centuries; any cutting sword used
by cavalry.
Seconde: The second
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Septime: The seventh
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Simple: In one move,
as in an attack or riposte involving
a single move.
Simultaneous: A
ruling of no hit when two fencers
in foil and sabre hit each other
at the same time with an attack,
redouble or remise.
Sixte: The sixth
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Stop-thrust: A sudden
counterattack made by extending without
lunging.
Target: The portion
of the opponent's body which may
be touched with the sword to score
points.
Thrust: To extend
the arm and sword toward the opponent.
Tierce: The third
of eight defensive positions in fencing.
Touch: A hit with
the point of the weapon or a cut
with the edge of the sabre, scoring
a point.
Warning line: A
line two metres inside the rear line
warning a fencer he or she is near
the end of the piste.
Whip-over: In
saber, a touch that results from the foible of the blade
whipping over the opponent’s guard or blade when
parried.
Yellow card: A card from
the referee signifying a warning has been
issued to a fencer for violating a rule. 
