quarterstaff
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quarterstaff
- /ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/ US
Where it comes from
From quarter + staff, attested since about 1550. Probably originally referred to a staff cut from the heartwood of a certain size of tree which was cleft into four parts, per the OED.
noun quarterstaffs · quarterstaves · quarter-staff · quarter staff · quarter-stave · quarterstave
- A wooden staff with an approximate length between 2 and 2.5 meters, sometimes tipped with iron, used as a weapon in rural England during the Early Modern period. Name my accuſer ſaith he, or I defye thee Kemp at the quart ſtaffe.
- Fighting or exercise with a wooden staff of this sort. He was very adept at quarterstaff.
Similar: bo, lathi, short staff
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: bo, lathi, short staff
Translations
Every language
noun wooden staff
| 日本語 | 棒 bō |
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Talk about this word "quarterstaff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quarterstaff. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. quarterstaff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quarterstaff "quarterstaff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quarterstaff.Cite this
@misc{quarterstaff_2026,
title = {quarterstaff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quarterstaff},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
