A short, thick stick or club, usually made of wood, carried by police officers or security personnel as a weapon.
From Old French 'tronchon,' derived from 'tronc' meaning 'tree trunk' or 'stem.' The word originally meant a piece or stump of wood, and evolved to mean the specific stick carried by law enforcement.
During the Middle Ages and up through modern times, police and guards have used these thick sticks because wood is durable, visible (people can see the authority), and effective for controlling crowds without causing permanent injury—it's actually a technological choice between lethal and non-lethal force.
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