truncheon

views updated May 29 2018

trun·cheon / ˈtrənchən/ • n. chiefly Brit. a short, thick stick carried as a weapon by a police officer. ∎  a staff or baton acting as a symbol of authority.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

truncheon

views updated Jun 11 2018

truncheon †piece broken off; †fragment or shaft of a spear XIII; short thick staff; staff as symbol of authority XVI. — OF. tronchon (mod. tronçon), repr. Rom. *trunciō, -ōn-, f. L. truncus TRUNK.

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

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

truncheon

All Sources -
Updated Aug 08 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like