Etymology

halberd

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Today it means: A two-handed pole weapon, consisting of a long pole with an axe-like blade mounted on it (at a right angle like an axe, not on the tip like a spear), and (opposite the blade) typically a spike or hook. Full definition →

Middle French hallebarde ← Italian alabarda ← Middle High German helmbarte
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The story

  1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*helmô“handle”
  2. Middle High German · derived fromhelmbarte“broad-axe with handle”
  3. Italian · derived fromalabarda
  4. Middle French · derived fromhallebarde
  5. English todayhalberd

(1495) Middle French hallebarde, from Italian alabarda, from Middle High German helmbarte (“broad-axe with handle”), from halm, from Proto-Germanic *helmô (“handle”) + barte (“hatchet”), from *bardaz (“broadax”), literally "beard."

Words from the same roots

Proto-Germanic*helmô all →

helm

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.