petard

See also: pétard

English

the use of a petard

Alternative forms

• pettard

Etymology

From Middle French petarder, see Modern French pétard (“firecracker”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɪˈtɑːd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɪˈtɑɹd/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)d

Noun

petard (plural petards)

1. (historical) A small, hat-shaped explosive device, used to breach a door or wall.
   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, “He is Concerned in a Dangerous Adventure with a Certain Gardener; […]”, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume I, London: Harrison and Co., […], published 1781, OCLC 316121541, page 49, column 1:

     [...] Pipes, who acted as the enemy's forlorn hope, advanced to the gate with great intrepidity, and clapping his foot to the door, which was none of the ſtouteſt, with the execution and diſpatch of a petard, ſplit it into a thouſand pieces.

2. Anything potentially explosive, in a non-literal sense.
   • c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iv]:

     For tis the sport to haue the enginer / Hoist with his owne petar

3. (rare) A loud firecracker.

Derived terms

• hoist by one's own petard

Translations

explosive device

• Bulgarian: петарда f (petarda)
• French: pétard (fr)
• German: Petarde (de)

• Portuguese: petardo (pt) m
• Swedish: petard c, sprängmina c

firecracker

• Bulgarian: пиратка f (piratka)
• Serbo-Croatian: petarda (sh) f

• Swedish: petard c, svärmare c, knallsignal c

Verb

petard (third-person singular simple present petards, present participle petarding, simple past and past participle petarded)

Illustration of guy petarding the door

1. (now rare, archaic) To attack or blow a hole in (something) with a petard.
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 56, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     The souldier, if he but goe to besiege a cottage, to scale a castle, to rob a church, to pettard [transl. petarder] a gate, to force a religious house, or any villanous act, before he attempt it praieth to God for his assistance, though his intents and hopes be full-fraught with crueltie, murther, covetise, luxurie, sacrilege, and all iniquitie.

Translations

to attack

• French: pétarder (fr)
• German: petardieren

• Portuguese: petardar, petardear
• Swedish: petardera, spränga (sv)

Anagrams

• depart, detrap, drapet, parted, prated, rapted, tarped, traped

---

Polish

Noun

petard f

1. genitive plural of petarda

---

Swedish

Etymology

From French pétard, used since 1600.

Noun

petard c

1. a petard (small bomb)
2. a petard (firecracker)

Declension

Declension of petard
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	petard	petarden	petarder	petarderna
Genitive	petards	petardens	petarders	petardernas

Synonyms

bomb

• sprängmina

firecracker

• knallsignal
• svärmare

Related terms

• petardera
• petardör

References

• petard in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)