bill

→ Swahili: bili

→ Thai: บิล (bin)

→ Tokelauan: pili

→ Jamaican Creole: bills

From Middle English bille, from Anglo-Norman bille, from Old French bulle, from Medieval Latin bulla (“seal", "sealed document”). Compare bull.

der

l-vocalizing: UK, General Australian, New Zealand

Ay, and Rato-lorum too; and a gentleman born, Master Parson; who writes himself Armigero, in any bill, warrant, quittance, or obligation, Armigero.

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], line 8:

A writing that binds the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in the document; a bill of exchange. In the United States, it is usually called a note, a note of hand, or a promissory note.


ahlspiess

(historical) A polearm used in Germany in the 15th century.


gisarme

From Middle English gisarme, from Old French guisarme; compare modern French guisarme.

The Gisarme called also gisaring, and, by Fleta, sisarmes is likewise an ancient weapon of the staff kind, but of what for seems doubtful.

1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 49:

A type of polearm having a spearhead and a reverse hooked spike on the back.


morris

From Morris, the surname of its discoverer.

w:Webster's Dictionary#Webster's New International Dictionary 1909

(obsolete) The young of the conger eel or similar fish, originally thought to be a separate species.


glaive

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-glaive.wav

From Middle English gleyve (“lance, glaive”), from Old French glaive (“lance; sword”), from Late Latin glavus. The further etymology is uncertain; one possibility is that glavus reflects Latin gladius (“sword”) crossed with clāva (“club”); another is that it derives from a re-crossing of gladius with Proto-Celtic *kladiwos (“sword”); yet another is that it is a borrowing into Late Latin from Old Irish claideb. All of the aforementioned words derive ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat; to break”). The Oxford English Dictionary notes that none of these words had the oldest meaning of Old French glaive (“lance”). The English word is cognate with Middle Dutch glavie, glaye (“lance”); Middle High German glavîe, glævîn (“lance”), Swedish glaven (“lance”).

ref

From Wendelin Boeheim (1890) “Die Glese und die Couse”, in Handbuch der Waffenkunde. Das Waffenwesen in seiner historischen Entwicklung vom Beginn des Mittelalters bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts [Handbook of Weapon Knowledge. Weaponry in Its Historical Development from the Beginning of the Middle Ages to the End of the 18th Century.] (Seemanns kunstgewerbliche Handbücher; VII), Leipzig: E. A. Seemann, →OCLC, figure 396, pages 343–344.

der

[T]he glaiue which he did wield / He gan forthwith t'auale, and way vnto me yield.

1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 19, page 144:

Wherefore do you ſo ill tranſlate yourſelf, / Out of the ſpeech of peace, that bears ſuch grace, / Into the harſh and boiſt'rous tongue of war? / Turning your books to glaives, your ink to blood, / Your pens to lances, and your tongue divine / To a loud trumpet, and a point of war?

c. 1596–1599, William Shakespear[e], “The Second Part of Henry IV. […]”, in The Works of Mr. William Shakespear, volume III (Consisting of Historical Plays), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon-Press, published 1770, →OCLC, act IV, scene i, page 426:

Juſtice were cruel weakly to relent; / From Mercy’s Self ſhe got her ſacred Glaive: / Grace be to thoſe who can, and will, repent; / But Penance long, and dreary, to the Slave, / Who muſt in Floods of Fire his groſs ſoul Spirit lave.

1748, James Thomson, “Canto II”, in The Castle of Indolence: […], London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, stanza XXXIX, page 60:

Thus furth he drew his truſty glaive, / While thouſands all arround, / Drawn frae their ſheaths glanſt in the ſun, / And loud the bougills ſound.

1750, Allan Ramsay, “Hardyknute. A Fragment of an Old Heroic Ballad.”, in The Tea-table Miscellany: Or, A Collection of Choice Songs, Scots and English, […], 11th edition, volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, stanza XXI, page 215:

Yea, that same awful angel with the glaive / Which in disparadising orbit swept / Lintel and pilaster and architrave

a. 1908 (date written), Francis Thompson, “[Miscellaneous Odes.] Laus Amara Doloris”, in The Works of Francis Thompson, volume II (Poems), New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons […], published 1913, →OCLC, page 124:

(loosely or poetic, archaic) A sword, particularly a broadsword.


partisan

From French partizaine, from Middle French partizaine, partisanne etc., from Italian partigiana, related to Etymology 1 above (apparently because it was seen as a typical weapon of such forces).

I had as lief have a reed that will do me no service as a partisan I could not heave.

c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:

Salisbury and his attendants were also now drawing near, with bills and partisans brandished, and bows already bended.

(historical) A long-handled spear with a triangular, double-edged blade having lateral projections, in some forms also used in boar hunting.


harpoon

From Old French harpon, from Latin harpaga, a rare variant of Latin harpagō, from Ancient Greek ἁρπάγη (harpágē, “hook”), from ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to snatch away, to carry off, to seize, to captivate”). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch harpoen (“harpoon”). Doublet of harpagon.

A spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in hunting whales and large fish.

A sharp tip within a disposable syringe, used to penetrate the stopper.


trident

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Latin tridēns, from tri- (“three”) + dēns (“tooth”).

Poseidon's trident

I recall the height of comfort attained by the green-cushioned "first" with starched white antimacassars and a pretentious grey floor mat on which it seemed a sacrilege to stand, as it was embellished with the North Western conception of Britannia, complete with trident.

1951 October, R. S. McNaught, “Lines of Approach”, in Railway Magazine, pages 703-704:

A three-pronged spear somewhat resembling a pitchfork.

(geometry) A curve of third order of the form:


dory

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δόρυ (dóru).

The basic weapon of the hoplite was the dory, a wooden-shaft spear six to nine feet long with a metal point at each end.

1990, Richard A. Gabriel, The Culture of War: Invention and Early Development (Contributions in Military Studies; 96), New York, N.Y.: Greenwood Press, →ISBN, page 89:

The principal offensive weapon of the hoplite was his spear (dory). Conquered territory was said to be 'spear-won'.

2000, Nick Sekunda, Greek Hoplite: 480–323 BC (Osprey Military, Warrior Series; 27), Oxford: Osprey Publishing, →ISBN, page 12:

The principal weapon of the hoplite was the dory spear. It was unusually long – it could measure up to 10ft (3m) in length, and weighed about 4.4lb (2kg). At one end was a broad, leaf-pattern spearhead, while at the other end was a metal spike called a sauroter. The purpose of the spike is much debated: it almost certainly acted as a counterbalance, making the spear easier to hold and wield; it could have been used as an improvised spear point, or for making downward attacks on the enemy's exposed feet; or it might even have been embedded in the ground to keep the spear in place.

2011 (republished 2014 as an e-book), Chris McNab, A History of the World in 100 Weapons, Oxford: Osprey Publishing, page 37

Sadly, the Greeks' weapons have succumbed to erosion; yet all are single-handed and one figure is striking overhead with left leg forward consistent with the use of a dory.

2012, Fred Eugene Ray, Jr., Greek and Macedonian Land Battles of the 4th Century B.C.: A History and Analysis of 187 Engagements, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, →ISBN, page 90:

A wooden pike or spear about three metres (ten feet) in length with a flat, leaf-shaped iron spearhead and a bronze butt-spike (called a sauroter), which was the main weapon of hoplites in Ancient Greece. It was usually not thrown but rather thrust at opponents with one hand.


poleaxe

Originally pollax, from poll (“head”) + axe.

(historical) A long-handled battle axe, being a combination of ax, hammer and pike.


halberd

(1495) Middle French hallebarde, from Italian alabarda, from Middle High German helmbarte (“broad-axe with handle”), from halm, from Proto-Germanic *helmô (“handle”) + barte (“hatchet”), from *bardaz (“broadax”), literally "beard."

A two-handed pole weapon, consisting of a long pole with an axe-like blade mounted on it (at a right angle like an axe, not on the tip like a spear), and (opposite the blade) typically a spike or hook.


brown-bill

From brown + bill; see bill (“polearm”).

Let the Kanne of ſtrong ale [be] your conſtable, with the toaſte his browne bill, and ſugar and nutmegs his watchmen ſtand in a readineſſe, to entertaine mee euerie time I come by your lodging.

1599, [Thomas] Nashe, “[The Epistle Dedicatorie]”, in Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC:

The tramp of horses was now heard, and the Lady Rowena appeared, surrounded by several riders, and a much stronger party of footmen, who joyfully shook their pikes and clashed their brown-bills for joy of her freedom.

(historical) A type of halberd used by medieval foot-soldiers and constables, painted brown to prevent rust.


bardiche

A poleaxe with a long blade that extends beyond the shaft.


polearm

From pole + arm. The term is of modern provenance, not appearing until the late 1800s.

A close-quarter combat weapon with the main fighting part of the weapon placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood.


billhook

→ Irish: bileog

→ Welsh: bilwg

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-billhook.wav

Earliest use in weapon (and later, agricultural) sense, bill (“a bladed pike”) + hook; other senses formed anew from various meanings of bill.

(weaponry) A medieval polearm, fitted to a long handle, sometimes with an L-shaped tine or a spike protruding from the side or the end of the blade for tackling the opponent; a bill.


fauchard

/ˈfɔːt͡ʃə(ɹ)d/

(historical) An early European weapon consisting of a curved blade on a long pole.


xyston

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ξυστόν (xustón, “spear, javelin”), of unknown origin. Potentially from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰasto- or *ǵʰasdʰo- (“branch ~ spear, sharp spine”) (whence also gad, goad, and yard), but this is likely a substrate word in view of the various irregularities.

bor

The Companions, like the Thessalian cavalry, were a well-mounted force armed with cuirass and the short thrusting spear (xyston) for close combat.

2004, J. F. C. Fuller, The Generalship of Alexander the Great, page 47:

A type of long thrusting lance, used in ancient Greece.


doloire

A medieval war and utility axe with a long wooden haft of 1.5 metres in length set with a blade shaped as a tear drop.


voulge

From French voulge, vouge, of uncertain origin, but perhaps from or related to Medieval Latin vidubium. (Some references suggest a comparison to Latin vanga instead.)

(historical) A medieval poleaxe bearing resemblance to a glaive or a Lochaber ax, although the blade portion is somewhat more elongated.


atgeir

From Old Norse atgeirr or Icelandic atgeir.

See 'Social and Political Structure'. halberd atgeir: Atgeir is translated as 'halberd', which it seems to have resembled even though no specimens of this combination of spear and axe have been found in archaeological excavations in[…]

2004 September 30, Leifur Eiriksson, Egil's Saga, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

The Atgeir The Atgeir was a 'spearlike spear' that was used before and through the Viking Age. One reference to the atgeir comes from Icelandic Sagas about the Viking hero Gunnar Hámundarson whom used an atgeir in Njál's Saga that would “sing” by making a ringing sound when it anticipated 'bloodshed' when it was used in battle.

2015, Njord Kane, The Vikings: The Story of a People, Spangenhelm Publishing, →ISBN:

Beyond description from old records and sagas, there have not been any atgeirs discovered by archeologists to get a clear picture as to what one was beyond the assumption of it being a spearheaded type of polearm.

2019, Njord Kane, History of the Vikings and Norse Culture, Spangenhelm Publishing, →ISBN:

In Laxdaela saga one of the characters, twelve years old Hardbein Helgason, pierces with an atgeir a steel helmet on the head of his opponent (App. 19). Another reference to using an atgeir in a fight can be found in Landnámabók […] Gunnar lifted him on the atgeir and hurled into the river” (App. 21). This technique is described in the saga three times. The atgeir piercing through a shield and splitting it in two: “Gunnar threw the atgeir to him and hit the shield,[…]"

2019, Daniel Jaquet, Matyas Miskolczi, Acta Periodica Duellatorum (vol. 7, issue 1), →ISBN, pages 36–37:

A kind of spear-like polearm used by the Norse, conventionally translated as halberd, but of uncertain precise nature.


sarissa

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek σάρισσα (sárissa).

lbor

(Ancient Greece) A long pike used in the traditional Greek phalanx formation.


bident

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Latin bidentis (“two-toothed”).

The bident and helmet of invisibility are two objects associated with the Greek god Hades and his Roman counterpart Pluto.


spontoon

From Middle French sponton (also esponton), from Italian spontone, from spunta (“pike”).

"That the commissioned Officers shall severally be armed with a sword or hanger, and espontoon; and [...]"; Second Militia Act of 1792.


guandao

From Mandarin 关刀 (guāndāo, “Guan Yu's halberd”).

bor

A Chinese polearm with the blade mounted on top of the pole (as opposed to on the side like most European polearms).


brandistock

A short polearm that has three retractable blades concealed in its handle, which are sprung upon a thrusting action forming a three-pronged spear.


man catcher

A type of polearm used in 18th century Europe that consists of a long pole and a two-pronged circular head for snaring the enemy around the neck.


demilance

Someone who carried a demilance; a demilancer.


naginata

From Japanese 薙刀 (naginata, literally “mowing hatchet”).

A traditional Japanese halberd: a polearm historically used to cut down infantry and cavalry.


Welsh glaive

there shall not come the twang of a Welsh bow, nor the glimmer of a Welsh glaive within a fair league of its battlements!

1838, James Gregor Grant, Rufus, Or, The Red King: A Romance:

A weapon of war used in former times by the Welsh, commonly regarded as a kind of poleaxe.


Dane axe

(historical) An early battle axe, primarily used during the transition between the European Viking Age and early Middle Ages.


Jedburgh staff

en-noun

Jedburgh staff (plural Jedburgh staffs or Jedburgh staves)

Jedburgh staffs (plural)
Jedburgh staves (plural)

(historical) A kind of Scottish polearm.


corseque

A pole weapon with a spike and two lateral blades on a shaft.


half-pike

1709-1711, The Tatler
paying the Salute with the Halfpike

(military) A short pike, sometimes carried by officers of infantry, sometimes used in boarding ships; a spontoon


Jeddart staff

Jeddart staff (plural Jeddart staffs or Jeddart staves)

Jeddart staffs (plural)
Jeddart staves (plural)


crowbill

From crow (“bird of the genus Corvus”) + bill (“beak of a bird”). Sense 1 (“kind of forceps”) is probably from its appearance, while sense 2 (“type of poleaxe”) is a calque of French bec de corbin (literally “crow or raven's beak”).

calque

(weaponry, historical) Synonym of bec de corbin (“poleaxe with a modified hammerhead and a spike mounted on the top of the pole”)


dagger-axe

(historical) An ancient Chinese pole weapon, in use until the Han dynasty, consisting of a dagger-shaped blade mounted by its tang perpendicular to the pole's shaft.


military fork

A polearm used in Europe between the 15th and 19th centuries, normally consisting of two tines (prongs), straight and parallel or slightly flared.