poniard

English

Alternative forms

• poignard
• poynard

Etymology

From Middle French poignard, from poing (“fist”), from Old French, from Latin pūgnus (“fist”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peuk-.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈpɒnjəd/, /ˈpɒnjɑːd/

Noun

poniard (plural poniards)

1. (now chiefly historical) A dagger typically having a slender square or triangular blade.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2 Scene 1

     She speaks poniards, and every word stabs: if her breath were as terrible as her terminations, there were no living near her; she would infect to the north star.

   • c. 1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, V.1:

     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 [...].

   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.29:

     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.

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: knijf (nl) n, ponjaard (nl) m
• Italian: pugnale (it)
• Portuguese: punhal

• Spanish: puñal (es)

Verb

poniard (third-person singular simple present poniards, present participle poniarding, simple past and past participle poniarded)

1. To stab with a poniard.

Related terms

• impugn
• pugilism
• pugnacious
• repugn (repugnant)

References

• “poniard” in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
• “poniard” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• "poniard" in WordNet 3.0, Princeton University, 2006.