pikestaff
Americannoun
plural
pikestaves-
the shaft of an infantry pike.
-
a foot traveler's staff with a metal point or spike at the lower end.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pikestaff
First recorded in 1325–75, pikestaff is from the Middle English word pykstaf. See pike 5, staff 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He heard the “tramp, tramp” of the sentry and the thudding of the pikestaff as it struck the stone when the sentry turned at the wall of the house.
From Literature
He said it was "plain as a pikestaff" that the EU will "not compromise as long as they believe there is the faintest possibility that Parliament can block Brexit on 31 October".
From BBC
Sam, who had been watching his master with great concern, shook his head and muttered: ‘Plain as a pikestaff it is, but it’s no good Sam Gamgee putting in his spoke just now.’
From Literature
We had gone no more than a hundred yards before a man carrying a pikestaff and a bell and leading a mastiff on a leash stalked up to us.
From Literature
It would probably have been a death stroke but for the tough pikestaff.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
