quarterstaff

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Pronunciation

• (America) IPA: /ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/

Noun

quarterstaff (plural quarterstaffs)

1. A wooden staff of an approximate length between 2 and 2.5 meters, sometimes tipped with iron, used as a weapon in rural England during the Early Modern period.
   • 1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood:

     First, several couples stood forth at quarterstaff, and so shrewd were they at the game, and so quickly did they give stroke and parry, that […]

2. Fighting or exercise with the quarterstaff.

   He was very adept at quarterstaff.

Synonyms

• bo (a Japanese quarterstaff)
• short staff

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