English Explanatory Dictionary

quarterstaff

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A wooden staff with an approximate length between 2 and 2.5 meters, sometimes tipped with iron, used as a weapon in rural England during the Early Modern period.
  2. Fighting or exercise with a wooden staff of this sort.

Pronunciation

/ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/

Word forms

quarterstaff quarterstaffs quarterstaves quarter-staff quarter staff quarter-stave quarterstave

Etymology

From quarter + staff, attested since about 1550. Probably originally referred to a staff cut from the heartwood of a certain size of tree which was cleft into four parts, per the OED.

Synonyms

bo lathi short staff

Translations

Japanese: 棒 Māori: tokotoko Māori: huakau Māori: tūmū Turkish: kargı
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