A strong pole or staff, especially one used as a weapon or walking stick in medieval times.
From Old English or Middle English origins, possibly related to Germanic roots meaning 'staff' or 'pole.' The exact etymology is uncertain, but it appears in medieval English texts describing weapons and tools used in daily life and combat.
Medieval people used poles for everything—fighting, fishing, pushing boats, knocking down apples—and had different names for them depending on their job, which is why English has so many pole-like words that are now almost forgotten.
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