Meanings
nouncowlstaff (plural cowlstaffs or cowlstaves)
plural cowlstaffs · plural cowlstaves
- A staff used to carry a cowl or other burden, especially held by two people on their shoulders.
[fight] performed by bastons, clubs and coulstaves
1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC1 more example
Prepare an iron cowlstaff / obtain one of steel: / put steel at its core / and on top draw soft iron!
1989, Elias Lönnrot, translated by Keith Bosley, The Kalevala, section XVII
Origin
- Latincupela
- Old Frenchcuvele
- Englishcowlstaff
From Old French cuvele, from Latin cupela, diminutive of cupa (“cask”), + staff. cowl + staff.
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 杠棒
- 杠棒 (gàngbàng)staff
Finnish korento
- korentostaff
Cite this entry
APA
cowlstaff. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowlstaff
MLA
“cowlstaff.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowlstaff. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cowlstaff,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowlstaff.
Source: cowlstaff on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.