noun / verb
bayonet
BAY-uh-nut/ˈbeɪənət/
A blade fitted to a firearm for close combat.
The museum displays a rifle with its bayonet attached.
Etymology
French baionnette named a type of dagger, and English initially used bayonet for a flat dagger. The name later shifted to a stabbing blade fitted to a firearm’s muzzle.
In context
A German's bayonet gleamed from the trench where his rifle lay pointed over the parapet, a sentry post.
More examples
- The historical painting shows soldiers carrying fixed bayonets.
- The memoir describes an order to bayonet an enemy soldier.
- The account reports that a prisoner was bayoneted during the battle.
Forms
bayonet · bayonets · bayoneted · bayoneting