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Webster 1913 Edition


Poniard

Pon′iard

,
Noun.
[F.
poignard
(cf. It.
pugnale
, Sp.
puñal
), fr. L.
pugio
,
-onis
; probably akin to
pugnus
fist, or fr.
pugnus
fist, as held in the fist. See
Pugnacious
.]
A kind of dagger, – usually a slender one with a triangular or square blade.
She speaks
poniards
, and every word stabs.
Shakespeare

Pon′iard

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Poniarded
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Poniarding
.]
To pierce with a poniard; to stab.
Cowper.

Webster 1828 Edition


Poniard

PONIARD

,
Noun.
pon'yard. [L. pugnus.] A small dagger; a pointed instrument for stabbing, borne in the hand or at the girdle, or in the pocket.

PONIARD

,
Verb.
T.
pon'yard. To pierce with a poniard; to stab.

Definition 2024


poniard

poniard

English

Alternative forms

Noun

poniard (plural poniards)

  1. (now chiefly historical) A dagger typically having a slender square or triangular blade.
    • c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, V.1:
      The sir King ha's wag'd with him six Barbary horses, / against the which he impon'd as I take it, sixe French / Rapiers and Poniards, with their assignes, as Girdle, / Hangers or so [].
    • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, II.29:
      A Poynard is more sure to wound a man, which forsomuch as it requireth more motion and vigor of the arme, than a pistol, it's stroke is more subject to be hindred or avoyded.
    • 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner:
      On this occasion I said nothing, but concealing his poniard in my clothes, I hasted up the mountain, determined to execute my purpose […].

Translations

Verb

poniard (third-person singular simple present poniards, present participle poniarding, simple past and past participle poniarded)

  1. To stab with a poniard.

Related terms

References

  • poniard” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
  • poniard” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
  • "poniard" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.