Heavy, short clubs used as weapons, or as a verb, to hit repeatedly or force someone to accept something against their will.
From Middle English, possibly from an Old French source or Germanic roots. The weapon was common enough by the 15th century to be well-documented in conflict records.
Medieval soldiers preferred bludgeons over swords in tight formation battles because they couldn't miss or get tangled—just swing and hit, which made them devastatingly effective!
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