bayonet

views updated May 23 2018

bay·o·net / ˈbāənit; ˌbāəˈnet/ • n. 1. a swordlike stabbing blade that may be fixed to the muzzle of a rifle for use in hand-to-hand fighting.2. [as adj.] denoting a fitting for a light bulb, camera lens, or other appliance that is engaged by being pushed into a socket and then twisted to lock it in place.• v. (-net·ed, -net·ing) [tr.] stab (someone) with a bayonet.

bayonet

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

bayonet

views updated May 17 2018

bayonet †short dagger XVII; stabbing blade for fixing to the muzzle of a musket or rifle XVIII. — F. baïonnette, said to be f. Bayonne, France, the orig. place of manufacture. The early vars. †bag(o)net (XVII–XVIII) are not accounted for.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

Bayonet

views updated May 29 2018

Bayonet

a group of soldiers armed with bayonets, 1780.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms

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