Dictionary.com

bayonet

[ bey-uh-nit, -net, bey-uh-net ]
/ ˈbeɪ ə nɪt, -ˌnɛt, ˌbeɪ əˈnɛt /
Save This Word!

noun
a daggerlike steel weapon that is attached to or at the muzzle of a gun and used for stabbing or slashing in hand-to-hand combat.
a pin projecting from the side of an object, as the base of a flashbulb or camera lens, for securing the object in a bayonet socket.
verb (used with object), bay·o·net·ed or bay·o·net·ted, bay·o·net·ing or bay·o·net·ting.
to kill or wound with a bayonet.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of bayonet

1605–15; <French baïonnette, after Bayonne in France (where the weapon was first made or used); see -ette
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bayonet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bayonet

bayonet
/ (ˈbeɪənɪt) /

noun
a blade that can be attached to the muzzle of a rifle for stabbing in close combat
a type of fastening in which a cylindrical member is inserted into a socket against spring pressure and turned so that pins on its side engage in slots in the socket
verb -nets, -neting, -neted, -nets, -netting or -netted
(tr) to stab or kill with a bayonet

Word Origin for bayonet

C17: from French baïonnette, from Bayonne where it originated
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK