poniard
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French poignard, from poing (“fist”), from Old French, from Latin pūgnus (“fist”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peuk-.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɒnjəd/, /ˈpɒnjɑːd/
Noun
poniard (plural poniards)
- (now chiefly historical) A dagger typically having a slender square or triangular blade.
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, V.1:
- The sir King ha's wag'd with him six Barbary horses, / against the which he impon'd as I take it, sixe French / Rapiers and Poniards, with their assignes, as Girdle, / Hangers or so […].
- 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, chapter 29, in The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
- A Poynard is more sure to wound a man, which forsomuch as it requireth more motion and vigor of the arme, than a pistol, it's stroke is more subject to be hindred or avoyded.
- 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner:
- On this occasion I said nothing, but concealing his poniard in my clothes, I hasted up the mountain, determined to execute my purpose […].
- c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, V.1:
Translations
Verb
poniard (third-person singular simple present poniards, present participle poniarding, simple past and past participle poniarded)
- To stab with a poniard.
Related terms
References
- “poniard” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “poniard” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- "poniard" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
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