petard

[ pi-tahrd ]

noun
  1. an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate, form a breach in a wall, etc.

  2. a kind of firecracker.

  1. (initial capital letter)Also called Flying Dustbin. a British spigot mortar of World War II that fired a 40-pound (18-kilogram) finned bomb, designed to destroy pillboxes and other concrete obstacles.

Idioms about petard

  1. hoist by / with one's own petard, hurt, ruined, or destroyed by the very device or plot one had intended for another.

Origin of petard

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French, equivalent to pet(er) “to break wind” (derivative of pet, from Latin pēditum “a breaking wind,” originally neuter of past participle of pēdere “to break wind”) + -ard noun suffix; see -ard

Words Nearby petard

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How to use petard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for petard

petard

/ (pɪˈtɑːd) /


noun
  1. (formerly) a device containing explosives used to breach a wall, doors, etc

  2. hoist with one's own petard being the victim of one's own schemes

  1. a type of explosive firework

Origin of petard

1
C16: from French: firework, from péter to break wind, from Latin pēdere

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