Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

quarterstaff

/ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.51 in modern English

Syllables: quar-ter-staff
IPA: /ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/

27

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A wooden staff with 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.

noun

Fighting or exercise with a wooden staff of this sort.

Example Sentences

"Name my accuſer ſaith he, or I defye thee Kemp at the quart ſtaffe."
"[F]ew country people there are who do not love to see two sturdy fellows thwack and belabour each other with quarter-staff, single-stick, or fists."
"He was very adept at quarterstaff."
"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 […]"

Etymology

From quarter + staff, attested since about 1550. Probably originally referred to a staff cut from the heartwood of a certain size of tree which was cleft into four parts, per the OED.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Sports.

Inflected Forms

quarterstaffs (plural) quarterstaves (plural) quarter-staff (alternative) quarter staff (alternative) quarter-stave (alternative) quarterstave (alternative)

Synonyms

bo lathi short staff

Questions

How do you pronounce quarterstaff?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/.
What does quarterstaff mean?: A wooden staff with 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.
Where does quarterstaff come from?: From quarter + staff, attested since about 1550. Probably originally referred to a staff cut from the heartwood of a certain size of tree which was cleft into four parts, per the OED.

How to pronounce quarterstaff

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “quarterstaff”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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