A thick wooden club or baton carried by police officers as a weapon for defense and control.
Compound of 'night' (from Old English 'niht') and 'stick' (from Old English 'sticca'). The word emerged in the 19th century when police forces standardized their equipment, and night-shift officers carried these weapons.
The nightstick became iconic in police culture, but it also became a symbol of police brutality during civil rights movements—the same object could represent protection to some and oppression to others, which shows how tools reflect the power dynamics around them.
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