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.

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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