Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A spear-headed weapon with a shaft about half the length of that of the ordinary pike. One form of this weapon, also called
spontoon , was formerly carried by infantry officers; another form, calledboarding-pike , is used in the navy in repelling boarders. - n. Military exercise with the half-pike.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Mil.) A short pike, sometimes carried by officers of infantry, sometimes used in boarding ships; a spontoon.
Examples
““I am just now like the half-pike, or spontoon of Achilles, one end of which could wound and the other cure — a property belonging neither to Spanish pike, brown-bill, partizan, halberd, Lochaber-axe, or indeed any other modern staff-weapon whatever.””
“The two strangers were conducted between two files of musketeers, the commandant was at the further end with a three-cornered cap on his head, his gown tucked up, a sword by his side, and a half-pike in his hand; he made a sign, and instantly four-and-twenty soldiers drew up round the newcomers.”
“The same situation was assigned to us, as being the safest, and Captain Thornton, taking his half-pike from the soldier who carried it, placed himself at the head of his little detachment, and gave the word to march forward.”
“Edward, that the Duke had done him this honour on account of his being the first to mount the breach of a fort in Savoy during the memorable campaign of 1709, and his having there defended himself with his half-pike for nearly ten minutes before any support reached him.”
“For a half-pike that grow up high enough to reach the branches of one of these instrumentiferous trees, happened no sooner to touch them but, instead of being joined to an iron head, it impaled a stubbed broom at the fundament.”
Five books of the lives, heroic deeds and sayings of Gargantua and his son Pantagruel
“Heavy footsteps marched close to the alcove and halted with the clack of a metal-butted half-pike grounding on stone.”
“Only one man made good his footing on our quarter-deck, when he was pinned through the calf of his right leg by one of the crew with his half-pike, whilst another was going to cut him down, which I prevented, and desired him to be taken to the cockpit.”
“The first preparation for our setting out was, that the captain's half-pike was placed near the coachman, and a drum behind the coach.”
“Cleveland, had with the whole strength he possessed, plunged a half-pike into the body of the animal.”
“A half-pike was a similar weapon having a staff about half the length.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘half-pike’.
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Hyphenated Actual Words
These kind of stun me whenever I see them. Language is just so cool.
chuck-will's-widow, will-o-the-wisp, saw-whet, topsy-turvy, linsey-woolsey, ne'er-do-well, gung-ho, so-so, cul-de-sac, fleur-de-lys, service-berry, major-domo and 33 more...
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chained_bear Usage on spontoon. Oct 10, 2008