BAYONET

bayonet

(noun) a knife that can be fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon

bayonet

(verb) stab or kill someone with a bayonet

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

bayonet (plural bayonets)

(military) A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of offence and defence. Originally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which needed to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier had fired.

(engineering) A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it, and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery.

Verb

bayonet (third-person singular simple present bayonets, present participle bayonetting or bayoneting, simple past and past participle bayonetted or bayoneted)

(transitive) To stab with a bayonet.

(transitive) To compel or drive by the bayonet.

Usage notes

The spelling bayoneting and bayoneted are preferred in the US, while bayonetting and bayonetted are preferred in the UK.

Anagrams

• Oytaben

Source: Wiktionary


Bay"o*net, n. Etym: [F. bayonnette, baïonnette; -- so called, it is said, because the first bayonets were made at Bayonne.]

1. (Mil.)

Definition: A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of offense and defense.

Note: Originally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which required to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier had fired.

2. (Mach.)

Definition: A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it, and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery. Bayonet clutch. See Clutch.

– Bayonet joint, a form of coupling similar to that by which a bayonet is fixed on the barrel of a musket. Knight.

Bay"o*net, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bayoneted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bayoneting.]

1. To stab with a bayonet.

2. To compel or drive by the bayonet. To bayonet us into submission. Burke.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 March 2025

IMMOBILIZATION

(noun) fixation (as by a plaster cast) of a body part in order to promote proper healing; “immobilization of the injured knee was necessary”


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