butt spike

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English[edit]

Noun[edit]

butt spike (plural butt spikes)

  1. (historical, weaponry) A small blade or spike on the rear end of a spear, used as a counterbalance and as a backup if the spear broke.
    • 2002, Robert L. O'Connell, Soul of the Sword: An Illustrated History of Weaponry and Warfare from Prehistory to the Present:
      Meanwhile, the men in the middle and rear pushed those in front, while simultaneously providing cover from javelins and arrows with their raised pikes and stabbing fallen adversaries with the butt spikes.