bayonet

¹bay·o·net

noun \ˈbā-ə-nət, -ˌnet, ˌbā-ə-ˈnet\

Definition of BAYONET

: a steel blade attached at the muzzle end of a shoulder arm (as a rifle) and used in hand-to-hand combat

Origin of BAYONET

French baïonnette, from Bayonne, France

First Known Use: 1680

Rhymes with BAYONET

aiguillette, alphabet, anisette, avocet, banneret, basinet, bassinet, bobbinet, bouncing bet, briolette, burgonet, calumet, canzonet, castanet, cellarette, chemisette, cigarette, clarinet, Cook Inlet, coronet, corselet, dragonet, dresser set, electret, en brochette, epaulet, Ethernet, etiquette, falconet, farmerette, featurette, flageolet, flannelette, great egret, guillemet, heavyset, jaconet, Joliet, Juliet, kitchenette, landaulet, lanneret, launderette, leatherette, luncheonette, maisonette, majorette, marmoset, marquisette, martinet, mignonette, minaret, minuet, miquelet, netiquette, novelette, oubliette, parapet, paupiette, photoset, pirouette, plasma jet, quodlibet, rondelet, safety net, satinet, scilicet, sermonette, serviette, silhouette, sobriquet, solleret, somerset, Somerset, soviet, space cadet, spinneret, statuette, stockinette, suffragette, superjet, swimmeret, taboret, teacher's pet, thermoset, towelette, trebuchet, tricolette, triple threat, underlet, usherette, vinaigrette, wagonette, web-offset

²bayonet

verb

bayonet·ed also bayonet·ted bayonet·ing also bayonet·ting

Definition of BAYONET

transitive verb

1

: to stab with a bayonet

2

: to compel or drive by or as if by the bayonet

intransitive verb

: to use a bayonet

First Known Use of BAYONET

1778

bayonet

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Short, sharp-edged, sometimes pointed weapon, designed for attachment to the muzzle of a firearm. According to tradition, it was developed in Bayonne, France, early in the 17th century and soon spread throughout Europe. The earliest design, the plug bayonet, was inserted into the muzzle of a musket, thus preventing the musket from being fired until the bayonet was removed. Later designs, including the socket bayonet invented by Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1688), slipped it over the muzzle. Repeating firearms greatly reduced its combat value. By World War I it had become an all-purpose knife.