plowshare

Soil-turning blade

A plowshare is the cutting blade of a plow—the metal piece that slices into soil and turns it over.

The word appears most often in the biblical phrase beat swords into plowshares, meaning to convert instruments of war into tools of peaceful agriculture.

agriculture

tillage

Soil preparation for planting

furrowNarrow trench in earth
soilGround matter for planting
cultivationFostering growth through care

sowing · seedbed · harvest · field · arable · husbandry · crop · harrow · disking · harrowing

peace

disarmament

Reducing or eliminating weapons

pacifismAntiwar moral stance
treatyBinding pact between nations
diplomacyNegotiation between nations

reconciliation · nonviolence · Isaiah · Micah · coexistence · harmony · ceasefire · truce · demilitarization · armistice

metalwork

forge

Furnace for shaping metal

anvilMetal-shaping block
blacksmithIron-shaping craftsperson
hammerTool for striking nails

foundry · tempering · quenching · smelting · wrought iron · blade · welding · tongs · casting · mold

Categories

farm toolspitchfork, hoe, rake, shovel, scythe
folk toolsadze, awl, hoe, rake, scythe
plowingmoldboard, furrow, coulter, landside, tillage
ancient metalworkanvil, blade, casting mold, crucible, ingot
old toolsadze, anvil, auger, awl, axe

Opposites

agricultural implement function

plowsharesickle

Curved hand-held harvesting blade

symbolic peace vs. war

plowsharesword

Hilted fighting blade

spear · weapon · lance · bayonet · armament

plow component position

plowsharehilt

Weapon's graspable portion

stilts · moldboard · beam · coulter

Phrases

swords to plowsharesConverting weapons to tools

Family

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G