truncheon
noun/ˈtrʌntʃən/
/ˈtrʌntʃən/
(also baton)
(both especially British English) (North American English nightstick)
- a short thick stick that police officers carry as a weapon
- Some of the prisoners were beaten about the head with rubber truncheons.
Word OriginMiddle English (denoting a piece broken off (especially from a spear), also a cudgel): from Old French tronchon ‘stump’, based on Latin truncus ‘trunk’.Definitions on the go
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truncheon