petard

petard
/pi tahrd"/, n.
1. an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate, form a breach in a wall, etc.
2. a kind of firecracker.
3. (cap.) Also called Flying Dustbin. a British spigot mortar of World War II that fired a 40-pound (18 kg) finned bomb, designed to destroy pillboxes and other concrete obstacles.
4. hoist by or with one's own petard, hurt, ruined, or destroyed by the very device or plot one had intended for another.
[1590-1600; < MF, equiv. to pet(er) to break wind (deriv. of pet < L peditum a breaking wind, orig. neut. of ptp. of pedere to break wind) + -ard -ARD]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • pétard — [ petar ] n. m. • 1584; petart 1495; de pet 1 ♦ Charge d explosif placée dans une enveloppe, qu on utilise pour détruire des obstacles, comme dispositif de signalisation acoustique ou en pyrotechnie. Les pétards du 14 Juillet. Allumer un pétard.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Petard — Pétard Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pétard (homonymie). Une chaîne de pétards pour le nouvel an chinois Un pétard est un dispositif exp …   Wikipédia en Français

  • petard — Petard. s. m. Sorte de machine de fer ou de fonte, qui estant chargée de poudre à canon, & couverte avec un madrier, sert à enfoncer les portes d une ville qu on veut surprendre. Charger un petard. appliquer le petard à une porte. le petard ne… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • petard — [pi tärd′] n. [Fr pétard < péter, to break wind < pet, fart < L peditum < peditus, pp. of pedere, to break wind < IE base * pezd , of echoic orig.] 1. a metal cone filled with explosives, fastened in ancient warfare to walls and… …   English World dictionary

  • petard — 1590s, small bomb used to blow in doors and breach walls, from Fr. pétard (late 16c.), from M.Fr. péter break wind, from O.Fr. pet a fart, from L. peditum, properly neut. pp. of pedere to break wind (in M.L. pettus). Surviving in phrase hoist… …   Etymology dictionary

  • petard — ► NOUN historical ▪ a small bomb made of a metal or wooden box filled with powder. ● be hoist with (or by) one s own petard Cf. ↑be hoist with one s own petard ORIGIN French, from péter break wind …   English terms dictionary

  • petard — m. pétard; mèche d un fouet; ornith. motteux; détonation; explosion …   Diccionari Personau e Evolutiu

  • Petard — Pe*tard , n. [F. p[ e]tard, fr. p[ e]ter to break wind, to crack, to explode, L. pedere, peditum.] (Mil.) A case containing powder to be exploded, esp. a conical or cylindrical case of metal filled with powder and attached to a plank, to be… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • petard — index bomb Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Pétard — Nom porté dans l Ouest (44) et en Bourgogne (71). On le considère généralement comme un sobriquet appliqué à celui qui pète bruyamment …   Noms de famille

  • Petard — A petard was a small bomb used to blow up gates and walls when breaching fortifications. The term has a French origin and dates back to the XVI century. [ [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/petard#prof Dictionary.reference.com] ] In a… …   Wikipedia

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