Fencing kept its French vocabulary the way music kept its Italian. You can fence at a high level without ever using these words, but you cannot read a coaching book or watch a coach explain a touch without them. Italian and English equivalents are noted where they matter.
(y-) A
Term
Meaning
Allez
”Go.” The referee’s signal to begin the bout.
Advance (Marche)
One step forward, front foot then back foot, restoring en garde.
Appel
A small stamp of the front foot used to feign an attack or unsettle an opponent.
Attack
An offensive action with an extended weapon arm threatening the opponent’s target.
Attaque au Fer
An attack preceded by a blade-taking action (beat, press, glide).
Aviso
A warning, e.g. for stepping off the strip or for delay.
(y-) B
Term
Meaning
Balestra
A small jump forward, landing in en garde, used to launch a lunge.
Beat
A sharp tap on the opponent’s blade to knock it out of line.
Bind (Liement)
Taking the opponent’s blade diagonally across the body, high to low or low to high.
Bout
A single match between two fencers, typically to 5 (pool) or 15 (direct elimination) touches.
(y-) C
Term
Meaning
Compound Attack
An attack made of two or more blade actions (feint + disengage, for example).
Counter-Attack
An offensive action made in response to the opponent’s attack.
Counter-Parry
A circular parry that catches the opponent’s blade by looping around it.
Coupé (Cut-Over)
A disengage that passes over the opponent’s blade rather than under it.
Coup Droit
A straight thrust, the simplest attack.
Coup d’Arrêt
A stop-hit. Counter-attack into the opponent’s preparation.
Croisé
Taking the opponent’s blade vertically on the same side, high to low.
(y-) D
Term
Meaning
Dégagement
Disengage. Switching sides of the opponent’s blade by passing under or over it.
Demi-Fente
Half-lunge. A short, controlled lunge that does not fully commit the back leg.
Doublé
A compound attack that defeats a circular parry by continuing around it.
Double Touch
In épée, both fencers land within ~40ms; both score a touch.
(y-) E
Term
Meaning
En Garde
The on-guard position. Starting and default posture.
Envelopment
Taking the opponent’s blade in a full circle, ending in the same line.
Épée
The heaviest of the three fencing weapons, no right of way, whole-body target.
(y-) F
Term
Meaning
Feint
A fake attack designed to draw a defensive reaction from the opponent.
Fente (Lunge)
The signature attack movement.
Fleche
A running attack. The fencer’s back leg crosses past the front and the touch must land before the cross.
Flunge
Flying lunge. Hybrid of fleche and lunge, briefly airborne.
Froissement
A violent sliding beat along the opponent’s blade.
(y-) G - H
Term
Meaning
Glide (Coulé)
Sliding your blade along the opponent’s while extending.
Halte
”Stop.” The referee’s signal to pause action.
(y-) L - M
Term
Meaning
Liement
See Bind.
Lunge
See Fente.
Mesura
Distance. The space between fencers, measured in lunge units.
(y-) O - P
Term
Meaning
Opposition
Keeping the blade in contact with the opponent’s throughout an action, blocking their line.
Parry
A blade action that deflects the opponent’s incoming attack.
Passata-Sotto
An evasion where the fencer drops the back hand to the floor, lowering the body under the attack.
Patinando
A “skating” footwork action combining an advance with an immediate continuation.
Piste
The fencing strip. 14 metres long, 1.5 to 2 metres wide.
Point-in-Line
A fully extended weapon arm threatening the target, established before the opponent’s attack.
Prêts
”Ready.” Referee’s signal that fencers are about to begin.
Prise de Fer
”Taking of the blade.” General term for bind, croisé, envelopment.
(y-) R
Term
Meaning
Redoublement
A renewed attack with a different blade action, after the first attack was parried.
Remise
A renewed attack in the same line, without recovering, after the opponent parried.
Reprise
A renewed attack after recovering from a missed first attack.
Riposte
An offensive action that follows a successful parry.
Romprez
Retreat. Back foot moves first, front foot follows.
(y-) S
Term
Meaning
Salute
Acknowledgment before and after a bout, with the weapon raised.
Second Intention
A tactical setup where the first action is bait for the real second action.
Simple Attack
A one-blade-action attack (straight thrust, disengage, or coupé).
Stop-Hit
See Coup d’Arrêt.
(y-) T
Term
Meaning
Target
The valid scoring area. In épée, the entire body.
Tempo
The unit of time for a single fencing action.
Touch
A valid scoring hit.
Trompement
A general term for feinting actions that deceive the opponent’s parry.