halberd

[ hal-berd, hawl-, hol-; formerly haw-berd ]
See synonyms for halberd on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a shafted weapon with an axlike cutting blade, beak, and apical spike, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Origin of halberd

1
1485–95; earlier haubert<Middle French hallebarde<Middle Low German helmbarde, equivalent to helm handle (cognate with helm1) + barde broadax (cognate with Middle High German barte)
  • Also hal·bert [hal-bert, hawl-, hol-; formerly haw-bert]. /ˈhæl bərt, ˈhɔl-, ˈhɒl-; formerly ˈhɔ bərt/.

Words Nearby halberd

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use halberd in a sentence

  • The jangle of a halberd as its bearer let the butt drop heavily on the stone steps added force to the summons.

    The Long Night | Stanley Weyman

British Dictionary definitions for halberd

halberd

halbert (ˈhælbət)

/ (ˈhælbəd) /


noun
  1. a weapon consisting of a long shaft with an axe blade and a pick, topped by a spearhead: used in 15th- and 16th-century warfare

Origin of halberd

1
C15: from Old French hallebarde, from Middle High German helm handle, helm 1 + barde axe, from Old High German bart beard

Derived forms of halberd

  • halberdier, noun

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