Makhaira (μάχαιρα, also transliterate machaira or machaera; an Ancient Greek word, <PIE *magh-, "to fight") is a term used by modern scholars to describe a type of ancient bladed weapon, generally a large knife with a slight backwards curve. In period texts, μάχαιρα has a variety of meanings, and can refer to virtually any knife or sword (taking the meaning of today's Greek μαχαίρι), even a surgeon's scalpel, but in a martial context it frequently does seem to refer to a type of one-edged, curved sword. Modern scholars distinguish the makhaira from the kopis (an ancient term of similar meaning) based on the direction of the blade curvature.