knobkerrie

American  

[nob-ker-ee] / ˈnɒbˌkɛr i /

noun

1. a short, heavy wooden club with a knob on one end, used especially by native peoples of South Africa for striking and throwing.

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knobkerrie British  

/ ˈnɒbˌkɛrɪ, ˈnɒbˌstɪk /

noun

1. a stick with a round knob at the end, used as a club or missile by South African tribesmen

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Etymology

Origin of knobkerrie

1835–45; < Afrikaans knopkierie, equivalent to knop knob + kierie, said to be < Khoikhoi kirri, keeri stick

Example Sentences

I was given a uniform, a new pair of boots, a helmet, a flashlight, a whistle, and a knobkerrie, which is a long wooden stick with a heavy ball of wood at one end.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

He was armed with nothing but a knobkerrie, with which he struck and parried with lightning-like rapidity.

From The Luck of Gerard Ridgeley by Mitford, Bertram

They had been armed with muskets, and each carried a heavy knobkerrie.

From The Curse of Carne's Hold A Tale of Adventure by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

Besides the spear and shield they generally carry a sword or knobkerrie, suspended from a raw-hide waist-belt; and they certainly look very ferocious in their weird-looking headdress when on the warpath.

From The Man-Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures by Selous, Frederick Courteney

Confronting him was a big Zulu, equally muscular, and armed with a formidable knobkerrie and a small shield.

From A Frontier Mystery by Mitford, Bertram