spontoon

[ spon-toon ]

/ spɒnˈtun /

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noun

a shafted weapon having a pointed blade with crossbar at its base, used by infantry officers in the 17th and 18th centuries.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Also called half-pike.

Origin of spontoon

1590–1600; <French esponton<Italian spuntone, equivalent to s-ex-¹ + puntone kind of weapon (literally, pointed object) (punt(o) point + -one augmentative suffix)

Words nearby spontoon

spontaneous abortion, spontaneous combustion, spontaneous generation, spontaneously, spontaneous recovery, spontoon, spoof, spoofery, spoofing, spook, spooky

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

How to use spontoon in a sentence

My mercer had his spontoon in his hand, as if he measured his cloth by that implement, instead of a legitimate yard.
The Antiquary, Complete|Sir Walter Scott
When Balbi wrote that his walls were hung with pictures of saints, it became a question of conveying the spontoon to him.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment|Rafael Sabatini
Holding his spontoon ready, but concealed under his coat, he stepped to the side of the door.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment|Rafael Sabatini
Spontoon' (to an elderly military-looking servant out of livery),'take away these things, and answer the bell yourself, if I ring.
Waverley, Or 'Tis Sixty Years Hence, Complete|Sir Walter Scott

I must send Spontoon to see what she is about; he will find her out among the old regimental connections.
Waverley, Or 'Tis Sixty Years Hence, Complete|Sir Walter Scott

British Dictionary definitions for spontoon

spontoon

/ (spɒnˈtuːn) /

noun

a form of halberd carried by some junior infantry officers in the 18th and 19th centuries

Word Origin for spontoon

C18: from French esponton, from Italian spuntone, from punto point

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

spontoon

Origin of spontoon

Words nearby spontoon

Words related to spontoon

How to use spontoon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spontoon

Word Origin for spontoon