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Bayonet |
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bayonetShort, sharp-edged, sometimes pointed weapon, designed for attachment to the muzzle of a firearm. According to tradition, it was developed in Bayonne, France, early in the 17th century and soon spread throughout Europe. The earliest design, the plug bayonet, was inserted into the muzzle of a musket, thus preventing the musket from being fired until the bayonet was removed. Later designs, including the socket bayonet invented by Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1688), slipped it over the muzzle. Repeating firearms greatly reduced its combat value. By World War I it had become an all-purpose knife. bayonet 1. a blade that can be attached to the muzzle of a rifle for stabbing in close combat. 2. a type of fastening in which a cylindrical member is inserted into a socket against spring pressure and turned so that pins on its side engage in slots in the socket bayonet [¦bā·ə′net] (ordnance) An edged steel blade with a tapered point and a formed handle with an underhand grip, designed to be attached to the muzzle end of a rifle, shotgun, or the like for use in hand-to-hand combat. Bayonet a cold-steel thrusting weapon, affixed to the barrel of a firearm (since the 1800’s, a rifle, carbine, or automatic weapon) for hand-to-hand fighting. The bayonet appeared in the mid-1600’s in France (where it received its name). Originally it was a shortened spear that was driven into the bore of a gun barrel; by the late 1600’s bayonets were made entirely of metal with a sleeve that fitted tightly over the gun barrel, which permitted loading and firing with the bayonet in place. The bayonet was adopted by Russia in the early 1700’s. Various armies have used bayonets with three or four faces as well as blades, both detachable and nondetachable. After World War II, Soviet troops were equipped with a bayonet-knife having a flat blade with teeth on one side, a hand grip by which the weapon could be attached to a gun, and a sheath; the bayonet-knife could also be used as a saw. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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