A type of polearm or medieval weapon consisting of a long shaft with a spiked or edged head.
From Old French 'etarre' or related forms, ultimately of uncertain origin. The word may derive from Germanic sources or could be related to 'tar,' an old term for a spear. Various medieval texts use this term for specific types of pole weapons used in European warfare.
The ettarre is one of those medieval weapons whose exact design is debated by historians because descriptions vary wildly across old texts—sometimes it sounds like a pike, sometimes like a halberd, which shows how inconsistent medieval naming could be.
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