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bay·o·net

(bā′ə-nĕt, bāə-nĭt, -nĕt′)

A blade attached to and extending from the muzzle end of a musket, rifle, or other firearm and used as a weapon in close combat.

tr.v. bay·o·net·ed, bay·o·net·ing, bay·o·netsor bay·o·net·ted , bay·o·net·ting ,

To prod, stab, or kill with this weapon.

[French baïonnette, after Bayonne, a town of southwest France where the weapon was manufactured.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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