Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “halfpike” come from?

halfpike (English) comes from English Pike, from French piqué, from French piquer, from Middle French picquer, from Old French piquer, from Vulgar Latin piccare, from Frankish pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic pikōną — "low-pitch humming noise".

halfpike (English): A short pike, sometimes carried by officers of...

Definitions

  1. A short pike, sometimes carried by officers of...

Ancestry of “halfpike”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPikeA member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity
2Frenchpiquépast participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics...
3Frenchpiquerto prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal
4Middle Frenchpicquerto sting
5Old Frenchpiquerto pierce with the tip of a sword
6Vulgar Latinpiccareto puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce
7Frankishpikkōnto peck, strike
8Proto-Germanicpikōną—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →