The bayonet takes its name from Bayonne, a French cutlery town — though the romantic story of soldiers jamming knives into empty muskets is likely fiction.
A blade attached to the muzzle of a rifle for use in close combat. Also used as a verb meaning to stab with a bayonet.
From French baïonnette, traditionally said to be named after the city of Bayonne in southwestern France, where such weapons were allegedly first made or used Key roots: Bayonne (French/Basque: "city in southwestern France known for blade-making").
The traditional story claims the bayonet was improvised when soldiers from Bayonne ran out of ammunition and jammed their hunting knives into their musket barrels. While picturesque, this tale is likely apocryphal — Bayonne was genuinely famous for cutlery production, and the weapon was probably a deliberate military innovation. The plug bayonet (inserted into the barrel) made it impossible to fire, which led to the socket bayonet (fitting around the barrel)