Type Dagger | ||
 | ||
Blade type Double-edged,
straight bladed | ||
A poniard /ˈpɒnjərd/ or poignard (Fr.) is a long, lightweight thrusting knife with a continuously tapering, acutely pointed blade and crossguard, historically worn by the upper class, noblemen, or the knighthood. Similar in design to a parrying dagger, the poniard emerged during the Middle Ages and was used during the Renaissance in Western Europe, particularly in France, Switzerland, and Italy.
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Modern use
In modern French, the term poignard has come to be defined as synonymous with dague, the general term for "dagger", and in English the term poniard has gradually evolved into a term for any small, slender dagger.
The Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife may be thought of as a modern version of the poignard.
In culture
In Shakespeare's Hamlet (Act V, scene ii; line 3795), Laertes wagers "six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as girdle, hangers, and so" against six Barbary horses owned by King Claudius that in a fencing match Laertes will defeat Hamlet by three or more touches.