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
So I examined billhook and quarterstaff, and at last said I knew them.
From A Thane of Wessex by Whistler, Charles W. (Charles Watts)
In his right hand he carried a quarterstaff, which he used as a walking-stick.
From The Last of the Vikings by Bowling, John
But as he rushed upon his prey, rescue interposed in the person of Joceline Joliffe, with his quarterstaff on his shoulder.
From Woodstock; or, the Cavalier by Scott, Walter, Sir
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
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.
