halberd

formerly hal·bert

[hal-berd, hawl-, hol-, haw-berd]

noun

1. a shafted weapon with an axlike cutting blade, beak, and apical spike, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.

halberd

/ ˈhælbət, ˈhælbəd /

noun

1. a weapon consisting of a long shaft with an axe blade and a pick, topped by a spearhead: used in 15th- and 16th-century warfare

Other Word Forms

• halberdier noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of halberd¹

1485–95; earlier haubert < Middle French hallebarde < Middle Low German helmbarde, equivalent to helm handle (cognate with helm ¹ ) + barde broadax (cognate with Middle High German barte )

Word History and Origins

Origin of halberd¹

C15: from Old French hallebarde, from Middle High German helm handle, _helm ¹ + barde axe, from Old High German bart _beard

Example Sentences

The halberd fern gene protected the cotton from whiteflies and other sucking pests, and Singh has now isolated other fern compounds that deter chewing insects, such as caterpillars.

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The halberd’s a weapon of yore, An ax with a spike at the fore.

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The House of Delegates was in full history mode, with four honor guards from Jamestown in Colonial armor — red plumes on their helmets, halberds in hand.

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And yet the utter failure of my labors to convince Trump supporters also makes this effort seem quaintly touching, as if the Vatican’s Swiss Guard had charged an armored brigade with their halberds.

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He invited the player and his wife to dinner at his home; Cantona recalled seeing servants in “wigs and carrying halberds: It was like the Middle Ages.”

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• bayonet