n. A halberd with a long shaft and two-sided blade, carried by medieval foot soldiers. [Middle English, from Old French guisarme, possibly from Old High German getīsarn : getan, to weed + īsarn, iron; see eis- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.