Etymology: Middle English fauchoun, from Anglo-French fauchun, from faucher to mow, from Vulgar Latin *falcare, from Latin falc-, falx
1) Broad-bladed cutting weapon.
(Prestwich, Michael. Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: The English Experience, 347)
2) Short, curved single-edged sword with a broad blade, used for cleaving blows.
(Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 248)