war club

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   a heavy wooden club used as a weapon in traditional warfare, especially by Indigenous peoples.

   Grammar: Countable: a war club, two war clubs. Often used in historical or cultural descriptions.

   Patterns

   • a war club
   • carry a war club
   • use a war club

   The museum displays a carved war club from the Pacific Northwest.

   Warriors traditionally carried a war club into battle.

   The war club was made of hard wood and decorated with feathers.

2. 2nouncountable

   a similar weapon used in other cultures or historical periods, often with a stone or metal head.

   Grammar: Can be used for any club used in war, not limited to Indigenous cultures.

   Patterns

   • a stone-headed war club
   • an ancient war club

   The ancient Egyptians used a war club with a stone head.

   He studied the design of war clubs from different civilizations.

Word forms

Common combinations

carved war club

The carved war club was a symbol of the chief's power.

wooden war club

A wooden war club was displayed next to the shield.

stone-headed war club

The stone-headed war club was heavy and deadly.

traditional war club

The dance group performed with a traditional war club.

Synonyms and how they differ

club

A general term for a heavy stick used as a weapon; 'war club' is more specific to combat.

cudgel

A short, thick stick used as a weapon; less specific to traditional warfare.

mace

A weapon with a heavy head on a handle, often metal; a war club is usually wooden and traditional.

Word family

club noun

A heavy stick used as a weapon.

Commonly confused: war club or war hammer?

Practice

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