Bardiche
/bɑːrˈdiːʃ/noun
A long-handled medieval polearm with a broad, cleaver-shaped blade mounted near the end of its shaft.
Did you know?The word’s ancestry is disputed, but it is generally linked through Polish and German forms to an old word for an axe or axelike blade.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Germanic
Old High German
barta
“A battle-axe or axe blade; the probable Germanic source behind later forms of the weapon’s name.”
Middle High German
Middle High German
barte
“An axe or battle-axe.”
Late Medieval
German
Bardik/Bardiche
“Forms associated with a broad-bladed pole weapon; the exact transmission is uncertain.”
16th Century
Polish
berdysz
“A berdysh, or broad-bladed polearm used especially by infantry.”
16th Century
French
bardiche
“A poleaxe or large axe-like weapon, borrowed from Eastern European forms.”
Modern English
English
bardiche
“A historical polearm with a broad, heavy blade fixed to a long shaft.”