Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Sep 15, 2002 08:12
21 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
spear, lance, javelin, bayonet, lancelet
English
Tech/Engineering
Military / Defense
I'd like to know the differences between the above. I am not really interested in the optimal angle to impale a man, but in the general features of the weapons (e.g. short, long, whether it is carried by cavalry or infantry). If you know other similar terms, I'd be thankful :-)
Change log
Jan 2, 2006 04:34: Fuad Yahya changed "Field" from "Other" to "Tech/Engineering" , "Field (specific)" from "(none)" to "Military / Defense"
Responses
+2
14 mins
Selected
You meant "lancet"
The following definitions are provided by the American Heritage Dictionary:
Spear: A weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharply pointed end.
Lance: A thrusting weapon with a long wooden shaft and a sharp metal head.
Bayonet: A blade adapted to fit the muzzle end of a rifle and used as a weapon in close combat.
Lancelet: Any of various small, flattened marine organisms of the subphylum Cephalochordata, structurally similar to the vertebrates but having a notochord rather than a true vertebral column.
Lancet: A surgical knife with a short, wide, pointed double-edged blade, used especially for making punctures and small incisions.
Based on the above, "Spear" and "Lance" seem almost identical, but the Weapons of the Heraldic Age gives the following definitions (and pictures) which help distinguish the two:
http://www.irishclans.com/articles/weaponsirish3.html
Lance: Lance (weapon used in the joust): The long shaft of ash tipped with a sharp iron or steel tip, usually between 9 and 14 feet in length. A vamplate was developed near the end of the 15th century to protect the hand and arm, and lance rests were built into breastplates and shields from the late 14th century onwards to help steady the lance as the horse galloped towards the target. The lance was not usually used for real combat.
Spear: The oldest form of staff weapon, intended primarily for thrusting. The war spear usually had a long, leaf-shaped or triangular head. In common use during the entire time period, the spear ranged in length from five to nine feet. Anything longer than this is usually considered a Pike.
The follwoing page has a picture of a spear:
http://www.scaryfaces.com/expandedpgs/access/cine/WPEXPGspea...
Fuad
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Note added at 2002-09-15 08:29:27 (GMT)
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The referenced web pages contain a good deal of information on similar weapons.
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Note added at 2002-09-15 08:30:55 (GMT)
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It seems that I have skipped \"javelin.\" Here is the definition from the American Heritage Dictionary:
A light spear thrown with the hand and used as a weapon.
Spear: A weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharply pointed end.
Lance: A thrusting weapon with a long wooden shaft and a sharp metal head.
Bayonet: A blade adapted to fit the muzzle end of a rifle and used as a weapon in close combat.
Lancelet: Any of various small, flattened marine organisms of the subphylum Cephalochordata, structurally similar to the vertebrates but having a notochord rather than a true vertebral column.
Lancet: A surgical knife with a short, wide, pointed double-edged blade, used especially for making punctures and small incisions.
Based on the above, "Spear" and "Lance" seem almost identical, but the Weapons of the Heraldic Age gives the following definitions (and pictures) which help distinguish the two:
http://www.irishclans.com/articles/weaponsirish3.html
Lance: Lance (weapon used in the joust): The long shaft of ash tipped with a sharp iron or steel tip, usually between 9 and 14 feet in length. A vamplate was developed near the end of the 15th century to protect the hand and arm, and lance rests were built into breastplates and shields from the late 14th century onwards to help steady the lance as the horse galloped towards the target. The lance was not usually used for real combat.
Spear: The oldest form of staff weapon, intended primarily for thrusting. The war spear usually had a long, leaf-shaped or triangular head. In common use during the entire time period, the spear ranged in length from five to nine feet. Anything longer than this is usually considered a Pike.
The follwoing page has a picture of a spear:
http://www.scaryfaces.com/expandedpgs/access/cine/WPEXPGspea...
Fuad
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-15 08:29:27 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The referenced web pages contain a good deal of information on similar weapons.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-15 08:30:55 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
It seems that I have skipped \"javelin.\" Here is the definition from the American Heritage Dictionary:
A light spear thrown with the hand and used as a weapon.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much, although I did ment "lancelet":
(Mirriam-Webster's unabridged)
1 obsolete : LANCET
2 : any of certain small elongate translucent marine animals that constitute Branchiostoma and related genera making up the Cephalochorda and that become from half an inch to four inches long and are found burrowing in the sand in shallow waters on the coasts of warm and warm-temperate seas in many parts of the world
"
+1
11 mins
Karl Apsel
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland
Sworn Law, Finance, Patent Translator
Native in: German 
Works in: English to German, German, German to English, and 1 more.
attempting ...
spear = different lengths, normally used by infantry; historical weapon --> stone age, Greeks, Romans etc.
lance = long piercing weapon used by knights from horse, especially through tournaments
javelin = spear used nowadays during sporting competitions
bayonet = sort of dagger attached to a gun; was used for man to man combat after shots were fired. Today banned ...
lancelet = I have no idea... sorry
lance = long piercing weapon used by knights from horse, especially through tournaments
javelin = spear used nowadays during sporting competitions
bayonet = sort of dagger attached to a gun; was used for man to man combat after shots were fired. Today banned ...
lancelet = I have no idea... sorry
17 mins
spear is long, it's a pole with a sharp point at one end used formerly by soldiers and hunters as
a weapon - and you hurl a spear (throw it with force).
lance - is also long and spearlike, but it was used by soldiers on horseback (you don't hurl it)
javelin - is a light spear for throwing, now used mostly in sport.
bayonet - a long knife fixed to the end of a soldier's gun or rifle.
lancelet - don't know
lance - is also long and spearlike, but it was used by soldiers on horseback (you don't hurl it)
javelin - is a light spear for throwing, now used mostly in sport.
bayonet - a long knife fixed to the end of a soldier's gun or rifle.
lancelet - don't know
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