petard
UK[pɪˈtɑːd]US[pɪˈtɑːrd]
n
A small bomb used to blast open a door or gate.
n
(historical) A small explosive device used in warfare, especially for breaching fortifications.
Morpheme Breakdown
pet
ard
pet
to break wind
ard
agent suffix
Etymology
The word 'petard' has a surprisingly vulgar origin. It entered English in the late 16th century from French, where 'péter' means 'to break wind'. A 'petard' was literally a device that made a loud, explosive noise, likened to flatulence. The agent suffix '-ard' turns the action into the object that performs it. The modern, more technical meaning of a small explosive charge for breaching walls evolved directly from this descriptive, onomatopoeic origin. Its most famous usage is in the Shakespearean phrase "hoist with his own petard," meaning caught in one's own trap or defeated by one's own scheme.
Analysis
Structure: pet (to break wind) + ard (agent suffix)
'Pet' is from Middle French 'péter', meaning 'to break wind', derived from Latin 'pēditāre', a frequentative of 'pēdere' (to fart). 'Ard' is an agent suffix from French '-ard', often used to form nouns denoting a person or thing characterized by an action.
Examples
The soldiers used a petard to blow open the castle's heavy gate.
In the plot, the villain was hoist with his own petard when the bomb he set exploded prematurely.
Historical reenactors demonstrated the use of a 17th-century petard.