petard

[ pi-tahrd ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate, form a breach in a wall, etc.
a kind of firecracker.
(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.

petard

/ pɪˈtɑːd /

noun

(formerly) a device containing explosives used to breach a wall, doors, etc
hoist with one's own petard
being the victim of one's own schemes
a type of explosive firework

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Word History and Origins

Origin of petard¹

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; -ard

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Word History and Origins

Origin of petard¹

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

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

pétanque petasus

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