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So what is the difference between a sword, dagger and just a plain old knife?

Generally speaking, a bladed weapon designed for thrusting that is less than 18 inches overall length is a dagger. A dagger is traditionally a stabbing weapon, which is what sets it apart from a knife, which is a primarily slashing weapon. Daggers are not incapable of slashing, but you will generally find that they have a very sharp point and may be sharpened on both sides. Meanwhile, a knife may or may not have a sharp point and is typically only sharpened on one side. As stated above, swords are longer than daggers but their design varies greatly; some are stabbing weapons while others are slashing and most are a varying combination of both. So what differentiates a sword from a really big
knife? As a good rule of thumb, if it has a cross guard and/or pommel then it is probably a sword or dagger.

Annellet - A finger guard. This piece connects to, and is usually part of, the cross guard. It bends toward the blade and is used to protect the finger while being curled around the quillion, which permits better control in close combat.

Blade - This piece of a weapon is usually pretty easy to spot, it is the (usually metal) piece that sticks out from where you hold the sword. Although blades can vary in design from straight and rigid to curved and flexible, with many combinations in between, most swords and daggers have a pointed tip at the end of the blade. As the maxim of how to duel states, the pointy end goes in the other guy.

Cross Guard - This is the piece of the sword that sits between the handle and the blade. It can vary greatly from the basket guards of many rapiers, which mostly encase the wielder's hand, to the simple perpendicular bar of metal found on most long swords. The cross guard serves the very basic purposes of protecting the wielder's hand, both from their own blade and from that of their opponents.

Edge - The sharpened side of the blade. Swords can have more than one edge.

Forte - A term for the lower portion of the blade. This section of the blade is thicker and stronger; hence it is usually used defensively.

Foible - A term for the upper portion of the blade. This section is not as thick or as strong as the Forte; however, it has a wide range of motion and agility, which is why it is used primarily for attacking.

Fuller - This is the small groove found running down the center (lengthwise) of many blades, typically double edged long swords and broad
swords. The purpose of this groove is mainly to help control blade weight and balance. The fuller is commonly, though erroneously, referred to as a blood groove.

Grip - The handle.

Hilt - The hilt refers to everything between, and including, the cross guard and the lower pommel.

Pommel - The pommel is a small knob (usually metal) at the base of the sword's handle. This piece is often decorative or ornate. The primary purpose of the pommel is ideally to counterbalance the weight of the blade. In some (non-European) sword designs, there is an upper and lower pommel. The upper being found just below the cross guard and before the grip while the lower is at the base of the sword.

Quillion - Not a term used very often, a quillion is a renaissance reference for each projection of the cross guard. For clarification, on a simple longsword the cross guard is a metal bar that attaches perpendicularly to the base of the blade, with a piece sticking out to either side of the sword. Hence, there are two quillion, one on each side. For more complicated cross guards, such as the basket hilt used on rapiers, this term may be used to give an idea of how intricate the design of the basket is.

Ricasso - This is a section of the blade, just above the hilt that is completely unsharpened.

Scabbard (Sheath) - The scabbard is the case into which the sword is sheathed. The term scabbard is generally used for hard cases, such as those used for most Japanese swords, and are made of wood or metal (or plastic now-a-days). The softer cases, usually leather, are most often called sheathes.

Tang - The tang of a blade is actually the part that you do not see. The tang is usually thicker than the main blade and completely unsharpened. This piece is embedded into the hilt of the sword and will usually connect all way through the grip and down to the pommel.