bludgeon

WOTD – 15 August 2008    

English

Etymology

First attested in 1730. Origin uncertain, perhaps of Cornish origin (recorded as blogon c. 1450) or from Middle French bougeon, a diminutive of bouge (“club, stick”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /blʌdʒ.ən/ X-SAMPA: /blVdZ.@n/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌdʒən

Noun

bludgeon (plural bludgeons)

1. A short, heavy club, often of wood, which is thicker or loaded at one end.

   We smashed the radio with a steel bludgeon.

Translations

short heavy club

• Bulgarian: къса сопа (bg) (kǎsa sopa)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 棍棒 (cmn) (gùnbàng)

• Czech: obušek (cs)
• Dutch: knuppel (nl) m
• French: matraque (fr) f
• German: Knüppel (de) m
• Hungarian: fütykös (hu), husáng (hu), furkósbot (hu), bunkósbot (hu)
• Japanese: 棍棒 (ja) (こんぼう, konbō)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: klubbe (no) m and f

  Nynorsk: klubbe (nn) f

• Polish: pałka (pl) f
• Portuguese: clava (pt) f
• Russian: дубинка (ru) (dubínka) f , палица (ru) (pálica) f , дубина (ru) (dubína) f 
• Spanish: cachiporra (es) f, cachiporra (es) f, porra (es) f, maza (es) f, garrote (es) m, clava (es) f
• Swedish: klubba (sv) c
• Turkish: sopa (tr)

See also

• truncheon

Verb

bludgeon (third-person singular simple present bludgeons, present participle bludgeoning, simple past and past participle bludgeoned) (transitive)

1. To strike or hit with something hard, usually on the head; to club.

   The apprehended rioter was bludgeoned to death.

2. To coerce someone, as if with a bludgeon.

   Their favorite method was bludgeoning us with the same old arguments in favor of their opinions.

Synonyms

• (to club): cudgel
• (coerce): harrass, pummel

Derived terms

• bludgeoner

Related terms

• clobber
• beat

Translations

to club, hit with a bludgeon

• Dutch: neerknuppelen (nl)
• French: matraquer (fr)
• German: niederknüppeln (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: klubbe (nb)

  Nynorsk: klubbe (nn)

• Polish: walnąć (pl)
• Russian: бить дубинкой
• Spanish: aporrear (es)

to force upon

• Dutch: afdwingen (nl)

• French: soutirer (fr)

References

• “bludgeon” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).