Ord

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for the sharp point or tip of a spear, lance or similar weapon
2. Old word meaning the pointed end of a spear or other thrusting weapon
3. Archaic name for the tip of a spear, the part that pierces the target

Etymology: In Old English, "ord" meant the point of a weapon, and by extension the spear itself, as well as a beginning or the front of an army. Its core sense was the sharp tip of something, not a place or an order. The same root survives in related languages. German "Ort" and Dutch "oord" now mean "place" or "region", while Swedish "udd" still means "point". Icelandic "oddur" can mean the tip of a weapon or a leader, so the older sense of pointed front lives on alongside the newer ones. English "odd" comes from the same Scandinavian family of words and shares the idea of a point, which connects it to "ord" through a common ancestor.