Meanings
martel1
plural martels
- A hammer, especially a war hammer.
Synonyms: pole hammer, war hammer
present singular third person martels · US participle present marteling · UK participle present martelling · US participle past marteled · US past marteled · UK participle past martelled · UK past martelled
- obsoleteTo strike a blow with, or as with, a hammer.
Her dreadfull weapon she to him addrest, Which on his helmet martelled so hard That made him low incline his lofty crest, And bowd his battred visour to his brest
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
Martel2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA hammer, especially a war hammer.
Origin
- Latinmartulus m
- Late Latinmartellus m
- Old Frenchmartel m
- Middle Englishmartel
- Englishmartel
From Middle English martel, from Old French martel m (modern French marteau m), from Late Latin martellus m, from Latin martulus m, a variant of marculus m (“small hammer”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
martel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/martel
“martel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/martel. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “martel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/martel.
Source: martel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.