poleaxe

poleaxe |ˈpəʊlaks |(US also poleax ) ▶noun another term for battleaxe ( sense 1 ). • a short-handled axe with a spike at the back, formerly used in naval warfare for boarding, resisting boarders, and cutting ropes. • a butcher's axe with a hammer head at the back, used to slaughter animals. ▶verb [ with obj. ] hit, kill, or knock down with or as if with a poleaxe. • cause great shock to: I was poleaxed by this revelation. ORIGIN Middle English: related to Middle Dutch pol (l )aex, Middle Low German pol (l )exe (see poll, axe ). The change in the first syllable was due to association with pole 1; the first element poll- may have referred to a special head of the axe or to the head of an enemy.