poleax

or pole·axe

[ pohl-aks ]

noun,plural pole·ax·es [pohl-ak-siz]. /ˈpoʊlˌæk sɪz/.
  1. a medieval shafted weapon with blade combining ax, hammer, and apical spike, used for fighting on foot.

  2. an ax, usually with a hammer opposite the cutting edge, used in stunning and slaughtering animals.

  1. an ax with both a blade and a hook, formerly used in naval warfare to assist sailors in boarding vessels.

verb (used with object),pole·axed, pole·ax·ing.
  1. to strike down or kill with or as if with a poleax.

Origin of poleax

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pollax “battle-ax,” literally, “head-ax” (see poll1, ax); akin to Middle Low German polexe

Words Nearby poleax

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use poleax in a sentence

  • He saw the ancient weapons on the wall—there was a great poleax.

    The Ghost Breaker | Charles Goddard
  • He considered a grate-bar from a heating furnace, and then he found the poleax, lying among a pile of wormeaten boards.

    Police Operation | H. Beam Piper