poniards

Thin stabbing blades

Poniards is the plural of poniard, a light dagger with a slender blade designed for stabbing.

The word is archaic or literary, appearing mainly in historical fiction and Renaissance drama: He concealed poniards beneath his cloak.

Shakespeare's characters reach for poniards when treachery demands a quiet blade.

weapon

dagger

Short pointed stabbing blade

stilettoThin-bladed knife or heel
bladeFlat cutting edge
dirkLong Scottish dagger

knife · rapier · sword · bodkin · hilt · scabbard · sheath · thrust · stab · parry

historical

Renaissance

European cultural reawakening

ElizabethanOf late 1500s England
TudorSixteenth-century English ruling family
courtierRoyal household attendant

nobleman · gentleman · intrigue · treachery · vendetta · Medici · Shakespeare · Hamlet · doublet · costume

literary

Shakespeare

Elizabethan dramatist and poet

MacbethAmbitious thane's downfall
tragedyDisastrous or sorrowful event
dramaTheatrical art or turmoil

soliloquy · metaphor · rhetoric · poetic · archaic · theatrical · stage · prop · murder · plotting

Opposites

blade size and type

poniardsbroadswords

Wide cutting weapons

claymores · greatswords · longswords · sabers · cutlasses

combat range

poniardslongbows

Full-height archery weapons

crossbows · muskets · rifles · artillery · cannons

weapon function and intent

poniardsshields

Protective barriers for defense

armor · bucklers · cudgels · staves · quarterstaffs

Family

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated PG