Image: Wikimedia Commons

pole weapon

Edged weapon mounted on a long straight pole of wood or metal

Also known as polearm · staff weapon · pole-arm

Instance of: weapon type
Subclass of: cold weapon
, stabbing weapon

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly melee weapons, with a subclass of spear-like designs fit for thrusting and/or throwing. Because many polearms were adapted from agricultural implements or other fairly abundant tools, and contained relatively little metal, they were cheap to make and readily available. When belligerents in warfare had a poorer class who could not pay for dedicated military weapons, they would often appropriate tools as cheap weapons. The cost of training was comparatively low, since these conscripted farmers had spent most of their lives using these "weapons" in the fields. This made polearms the favoured weapon of peasant levies and peasant rebellions the world over.

Overview

All data

22 statements · 9% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Has use: hunting
war
Members / parts: staff weapon component
haft
spear

On other databases

13 identifiers linking pole weapon across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

externally sourced

Source last edited September 30, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). pole weapon (Q649107). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/pole-weapon-Q649107