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pikeman

pikeman

1 9.9
A soldier from long ago who carried a long spear to fight
  • noun
  • /ˈpaɪkˌmæn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : picas
  • During the battle, the pikeman stood bravely at the front line, ready to defend against the enemy's charge.

Examples

  • The thought calmed the pikeman.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Let's get two pikemen up front Axman to take out his guys who are way, way, way too exposed.

  • Pikeman, 5th November 2012 @ 01:29 am PST

    Blog text (22)
  • Pikeman, 25th September 2012, 11:51 am PDT.

    Blog text (31)
  • Pikeman, 27th September 2012, 11:51 PM PDT.

    Blog text (1)
  • His front ranks consisted of Spears and pikemen, with Archers and crossbowmen behind them, while light cavalry manned both flanks.

  • In the training grounds, the pikeman practiced his formations with the long spear in hand, preparing for the upcoming conflict.

  • Historically, a pikeman played a crucial role in infantry units, using their long pikes to fend off cavalry attacks.

Synonyms

spearman
vspikeman
1 7.6

A person who fights with a long pointed pole

is a historical infantry type armed with a very long pike

Surface Forms

pikeman singular
pikemen plural

Morphology

pikeman = pike + man (transparent) = pike + man

Clear compound of 'pike' (a spear) + 'man' (person), yielding 'a person armed with a pike', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

The word pikeman comes from pike 'long spear' and the ending -man 'person'. So a pikeman is literally a 'person with a pike', a soldier who carried that long spear in old battles.