Bludgeonry
/ˈblʌdʒənri/noun
The use or practice of bludgeons or blunt-force violence.
Did you know?Bludgeon comes from a Germanic root meaning “to strike or beat,” and English turned it into a noun for a heavy club before adding the abstract suffix -ry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bludjaną
“to beat or strike”
Middle English
ME
bludgeon
“a heavy club used as a weapon”
16th Century
English
bludgeon
“to strike with a blunt weapon; a heavy club”
17th Century
English
-ry
“a suffix forming nouns of practice, condition, or collective activity”
Modern English
English
bludgeonry
“the practice or use of bludgeons; blunt-force violence”