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A fauchard is a type of polearm which was used in Europe from the 11th through the 17th centuries. In later use fauchards became ornamental and ceremonial (fauchard de parade), growing in size until some examples were almost too heavy to carry, let alone use. The design consisted of a curved blade atop a long pole, although in some portrayals, it is shown on a shorter pole. The blade bore a moderate to strong curve along its length. The cutting edge was only on the convex side of the blade, unlike the guisarme or bill. The fauchard was likely developed from the war scythe (and is from the scythe (falx) family in general) with the cutting edge turned opposite, convex instead of concave, so that the weapon was good for both thrusting and slashing attacks.
Pole arms developed from relatively few early tools (axe, scythe/wide-bladed knife, and the pruning hook) and the spear. Over time, the form evolved and elements from other pole-arms were included in the fauchard, such as prongs to parry weapons and hook armor, complicating naming further. Some historians use only the classification "glaive" or "fauchard" and ignore the other entirely.
The form of contemporary Asian pole arms (the Japanese naginata and the Chinese guan dao for example) has led to speculation that one could have influenced the other as regional trade brought the cultures together.
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File:Fauchard01.jpg|"Coupe-marc", a French agricultural tool from the 19th or 20th century, often mislabeled as a fauchard. Most polearms originated from pole-mounted agricultural tools because of their heft and reach.
File:E124259.jpg|Soldiers with various polearms including a fauchard and glaive
File:Armsarmourinanti00laco_0287.jpg|Weapons in a French museum, illustrating differing name usage between languages. Left: A weapon called a fauchard, resembling a bill. Right: An ornate crescent-bladed halberd labelled "partisan".
File:Polearms.jpg|Pole Arms: The Development of Their Commoner Forms During the Centuries (fauchards are near the middle)