quarterstaff

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
27
Words With Friends
28
Letters
12
Pronunciation
/ˈkwɔɹtəɹˌstæf/ (US)

Definition of quarterstaff

2 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. A wooden staff with an approximate length between 2 and 2.5 meters, sometimes tipped with iron, used as a weapon in rural England during the Early Modern period.
    “Name my accuſer ſaith he, or I defye thee Kemp at the quart ſtaffe.”
    “[F]ew country people there are who do not love to see two sturdy fellows thwack and belabour each other with quarter-staff, single-stick, or fists.”
See all 2 definitions

noun

  1. A wooden staff with an approximate length between 2 and 2.5 meters, sometimes tipped with iron, used as a weapon in rural England during the Early Modern period.
    “Name my accuſer ſaith he, or I defye thee Kemp at the quart ſtaffe.”
    “[F]ew country people there are who do not love to see two sturdy fellows thwack and belabour each other with quarter-staff, single-stick, or fists.”
  2. Fighting or exercise with a wooden staff of this sort.
    “He was very adept at quarterstaff.”
    “First, several couples stood forth at quarterstaff, and so shrewd were they at the game, and so quickly did they give stroke and parry, that […]”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From quarter + staff, attested since about 1550. Probably originally referred to a staff cut from the heartwood of a certain size of tree which was cleft into four parts, per the OED.

Words you can make from quarterstaff

200+ playable · top: QUAFFERS (23 pts)

Best play quaffers 23 points

9-letter words

3 words

8-letter words

8 words

7-letter words

28 words

6-letter words

51 words

5-letter words

89 words

4-letter words

20 words

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

A single letter you can add to quarterstaff to make another valid word.

Find your best play with quarterstaff

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes quarterstaff, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.