bâton de commandement

American  

[bah-tawn duh kaw-mahn-duh-mahn] / bɑ tɔ̃ də kɔ mɑ̃ dəˈmɑ̃ /

noun

PLURAL

bâtons de commandement

1. an Upper Paleolithic instrument possibly used as a shaft straightener, often made from the main beam of an antler and having one or more perforations through which a shaft could pass.

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bâton de commandement British  

/ bɑtɔ̃ də kɔmɑ̃dmɑ̃ /

noun

1. an antler object found in Upper Palaeolithic sites from the Aurignacian period onwards, consisting of a rod, often ornately decorated, with a hole through the thicker end

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Etymology

Origin of bâton de commandement

First recorded in 1810–20 in the nautical sense “ensign staff at the mast head”; current sense dates from 1890–95; from French: literally, “staff of command”; so called because the instrument was originally thought to function as a sign of authority