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quarterstaves

 - 3 dictionary results

quar⋅ter⋅staff

  [kwawr-ter-staf, -stahf]
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–noun, plural -staves  [-steyvz] , -staffs.
1. a former English weapon consisting of a stout pole 6 to 8 ft. (1.8 to 2.4 m) long, tipped with iron.
2. exercise or fighting with this weapon.
Origin:
1540–50; quarter + staff 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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quar·ter·staff   (kwôr'tər-stāf')   
n.   pl. quar·ter·staves (-stāvz')
A long wooden staff formerly used as a weapon.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

quarterstaff 
c.1550, stout pole, six to eight feet long, tipped with iron, formerly a weapon used by the Eng. peasantry. The exact sense of quarter is uncertain here; it may be from a tree of a certain size cut into quarters.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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