Noun: poniard
| Singular | poniard |
| Plural | poniards |
Sample Sentences
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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[…]. [c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:]
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You yeoman phevvterer, conduct mee to / The Lady of the manſion, or my poniard / Shall diſemboge thy ſoule. [c. 1621–1623 (date written), Philip Massinger, The Maid of Honour. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1632, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii, signatures D2, verso – D3, recto:]
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One of the tragic authors, finding himself assaulted in the dark, had, by way of poinard, employed upon his adversary's throat a knife which lay upon the table, for the convenience of cutting cheese […]. [1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter 101, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume IV, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:]
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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. [1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 29, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:]
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On this occasion I said nothing, but concealing his poniard in my clothes, I hasted up the mountain, determined to execute my purpose […]. [1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner:]
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The gaunt men carried swords and daggers with a new familiarity, and even the women had poniards belted at their waists. [2003, Christopher Paolini, “Dragon Tales”, in Eragon, pages 22-23:]
Nouns inflected like poniard
soldier's woundwort,
Nicosian,
whopper,
greypate,
tactile sign language,
chronotrope,
Rosie Lee,
dissentient,
photoinactivator,
sulphonediimine,
coastal waterfall,
residuary devise,
bituminization,
nitrosonaphthol,
smṛiti,
geosphere,
backscreen,
mensuralist,
flocculate,
flocculant, etc. (List truncated at 20 nouns)
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French poignard (whence -ard), from poing (“fist”), from Old French poing, from Latin pugnus (“fist”). See: Latin Nouns '
pugnus'.