quarterstaff
Americannoun
plural
quarterstaves, quarterstaffs-
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.
noun
-
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
Etymology
Origin of quarterstaff
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.
On NBC, an American Gladiator is a beefcake model in a unitard swinging his padded quarterstaff.
From Time Magazine Archive
The knowledge of singlestick and quarterstaff still lingered, in the country parts of England.
From Under Drake's Flag A Tale of the Spanish Main by Browne, Gordon
And the poor fellow hung about sadly, thinking he should find none in the end, and swearing he would follow me even had he naught but a quarterstaff in his hand.
From A Thane of Wessex by Whistler, Charles W. (Charles Watts)
"Shure, I have said all his Riverence and the Misthress bade me say," cried he, in defiance; and, seizing the Governor's cane from his hand, brandished it, quarterstaff fashion, above his head.
From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 23, September, 1859 by Various
In his right hand he carried a quarterstaff, which he used as a walking-stick.
From The Last of the Vikings by Bowling, John
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.
