Link Centre Dictionary

quarterstaff

quar·ters·taff

US/ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/ uncommon

noun

1.

a long stout staff used as a weapon

Origin

From quarter + staff, attested since about 1550. Probably originally referred to a staff cut from the heartwood of a certain size of tree which was cleft into four parts, per the OED.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.