quarterstaff

[kwawr-ter-staf, -stahf]

See more synonyms for quarterstaff on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural quar·ter·staves

[kwawr-ter-steyvz] /ˈkwɔr tərˌsteɪvz/, quar·ter·staffs.

a former English weapon consisting of a stout pole 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) long, tipped with iron.
exercise or fighting with this weapon.

Origin of quarterstaff

First recorded in 1540–50; quarter + staff¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for quarterstaff

business, staff, sap, cudgel, works, bludgeon, baton, mace, blackjack, truncheon, hammer, nightstick, quarterstaff, hickory, mallet, shillelagh, billy, swatter, rosewood, cosh

Examples from the Web for quarterstaff

Historical Examples of quarterstaff

Sometimes there were wrestling matches, and combat with sword and quarterstaff.
Cheshire
Charles E. Kelsey
In his right hand he carried a quarterstaff, which he used as a walking-stick.
The Last of the Vikings
John Bowling
So I examined billhook and quarterstaff, and at last said I knew them.
A Thane of Wessex
Charles W. Whistler
He was dead, for the end of the quarterstaff had driven in his forehead, so madly had I struck at him with all my weight.
A Thane of Wessex
Charles W. Whistler
And next, I saw my quarterstaff still resting against the tree where I had left it.
A Thane of Wessex
Charles W. Whistler

British Dictionary definitions for quarterstaff

quarterstaff

noun plural -staves (-ˌsteɪvz, -ˌstɑːvz)

a stout iron-tipped wooden staff about 6ft long, formerly used in England as a weapon
the use of such a staff in fighting, sport, or exercise

Word Origin for quarterstaff

C16: of uncertain origin

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

Word Origin and History for quarterstaff

also quarter-staff, 1540s (quarter-stroke "stroke with a quarterstaff" is attested from early 15c.), stout pole, six to eight feet long (six-and-a-half sometimes is given as the standard length), tipped with iron, formerly a weapon used by the English peasantry. From staff (n.). The quarter likely is in reference to its operation.

It was grasped by one hand in the middle, and by the other between the middle and the end. In the attack the latter hand shifted from one quarter of the staff to the other, giving the weapon a rapid circular motion, which brought the ends on the adversary at unexpected points. [Century Dictionary]