noun
cudgel
Cudgel (noun) means a thick, heavy stick used as a weapon.
noun
1
A thick, heavy stick used as a weapon.
"The guard hefted his cudgel menacingly and looked at the inmates."
2
Something used to threaten or pressure someone into doing what you want.
"Mr. Cruz has been able to use his pseudo-intellectualism and his Ivy League pedigree as a cudgel."
— Mimi Swartz, Never Forget What Ted Cruz Did (2021)
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Etymology
Comes from Middle English kuggel, from Old English cyċġel ("a large stick, cudgel"), from Proto-West Germanic *kuggil, from Proto-Germanic *kuggilaz ("a knobbed instrument"), itself from Proto-Germanic *kuggǭ ("cog, swelling"), from Proto-Indo-European *gewgʰ- ("swelling, bow"), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- ("to bow, bend, arch, curve"); the English word is made up of cog and -el (a diminutive suffix). It is cognate with Middle Dutch coghele ("a stick with a rounded end").
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of cudgel?
"cudgel" (noun) means a thick, heavy stick used as a weapon.
What are the different meanings of cudgel?
"cudgel" has 2 main meanings: 1. A thick, heavy stick used as a weapon; 2. Something used to threaten or pressure someone into doing what you want.
