petard

[ pi-tahrd ]

noun

an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate, form a breach in a wall, etc.
a kind of firecracker.

(initial capital letter)Also called Flying Dustbin. a British spigot mortar of World War II that fired a 40-pound (18-kilogram) finned bomb, designed to destroy pillboxes and other concrete obstacles.

Idioms about petard

hoist by / with one's own petard, hurt, ruined, or destroyed by the very device or plot one had intended for another.

Origin of petard

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French, equivalent to pet(er) “to break wind” (derivative of pet, from Latin pēditum “a breaking wind,” originally neuter of past participle of pēdere “to break wind”) + -ard noun suffix; see -ard

Words Nearby petard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use petard in a sentence

Oh no, like Shakespeare would say, I was hoist with my own petard.
Adam Grant’s Philosophy of Giving | Joshua Eferighe | September 25, 2020 | Ozy

British Dictionary definitions for petard

petard

/ (pɪˈtɑːd) /

noun

(formerly) a device containing explosives used to breach a wall, doors, etc
hoist with one's own petard being the victim of one's own schemes

a type of explosive firework

Origin of petard

C16: from French: firework, from péter to break wind, from Latin pēdere

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

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