hilt (noun)

1. In the religious ceremony, the priest held the sword by the hilt and blessed it with holy water.

2. Why did the sword go to the comedy club? Because it wanted to sharpen its hilt-arious sense of humor!

3. As the space soldier drew his laser sword, he gripped the hilt tightly, ready for battle against the alien creatures.

4. According to Greek mythology, the hero pulled the sword from the stone by firmly grasping the ornate hilt.