Forms: 4 tronsoun, trounsoun, trunsoun, -ioune, Sc. trwnsown, 5 trounson; 4–5 tronchoun, -eoun, -en, 4–7 tronchon, 5–7 troncheon, 6–7 tronchion, (5 trounchen, tronchown, -yn, trenchoune, 6 tronchone, trenshon, 7 trouncheon); Sc. 4–5 trunschoun, 5 trunscyoune, 6 trownsciown, trunscheon, -e; 6–8 trunchion, 6– truncheon, (5–6 trunchoun, -on, -en, -in, -yn, -yne). [ME. a. OF. trunçun, tronchon, F. tronçon a piece cut or broken off, a stump (11th c. in Godef.), f. late L. type *trunciōn-em, f. L. truncus TRUNK.]
1. A piece broken or cut off, a fragment. Also fig. Obs. or arch.
13[?]. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 819. Of the adder he fond mani tronsoun.
a. 1450. Le Morte Arth., 3071. One hytte hym vpon the olde wounde With a tronchon of an ore.
1570. Levins, Manip., 164/29. A Trenshon, fragmentum.
1587. Mascall, Govt. Cattle, Oxen (1627), 18. Small trunchions of coleworts sod in sallet oyle and … brine.
1611. Cotgr., Tronçonneur,… a cutter of things into truncheons or lumpes.
1882. Stevenson, New Arab. Nts., II. i. 7. A huge truncheon of wreck half buried in the sands. Ibid. (1892), Across the Plains, 240. [They] set before him truncheons of tales upon their lighted theatre.
b. spec. A fragment of a spear or lance; a piece broken off from a spear. Obs. or arch.
13[?]. Sir Beues (A.), 827. On a tronsoun [v.rr. tronchen, tronchyn, tronchon, trunchyn] of is spere Þat heued a stikede for to bere.
13[?]. K. Alis., 2149 (Bodl. MS.). Þe spere tobrast on two trunsoun. Ibid., 3740. A gentyl kniȝth … Had on hym many wounde And a trunchoun in his flaunche.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), xxii. 238. Þei breken here speres so rudely þat the tronchouns fleu in sprotes and peces all aboute the halle.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, I. xxii. 69. He smote Gryflet … and brake the spere that the troncheon stack in his body.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. iii. 12. Therewith asunder in the midst it brast, And in his hand nought but the troncheon left.
1697. Dryden, Æneid, XI. 16. His brazen buckler on the left was seen: Truncheons of shiver’d lances hung between.
1825. Scott, Talism., xxviii. Sir Kenneth’s lance … had wounded him deep in the bosom,… leaving the truncheon of the lance fixed in his wound.
c. The shaft of a spear. Obs. or arch.
13[?]. K. Alis., 2154. Alisaundre … him mette with speris egge; Through brunny and scheld, to the akedoun, He to-barst atwo his tronchon.
13[?]. Guy Warw. (A.), 3093. Þurch þe bodi he bar a trounsoun.
1600. Holland, Livy, XXXV. v. 891. Their captaines … laying about with their truncheons [L. hastile] upon the backs of them that so trembled for feare,… forced them againe into their ranks.
1805. Scott, Last Minstrel, I. xix. A fancied moss-trooper, the boy The truncheon of a spear bestrode.
2. A short thick staff; a club, a cudgel. Obs. or arch. exc. as in 3.
13[?]. Sir Beues (A.), 1428. At þe prisoun dore Beues fond A tronsoun, þat he tok in is hond.
14[?]. Stockh. Med. MS., II. 709, in Anglia, XVIII. 324. He beryth his seede, Lik a trwnsown or a pestell.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 2890. O gret trownsciown In til his hond.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., IV. x. 52. Thy legge a sticke compared with this Truncheon.
c. 1618. Moryson, Itin., IV. (1903), 449. A Castle of wood … which the Senatours Armed with tronchions did assault and take.
1682. N. O., trans. Boileau’s Lutrin, III. 113. A Truncheon strong Confirms his staggering steps.
1725. Pope, Odyss., XI. 707. Stern beasts in trains that by his truncheon fell.
1756. Mrs. Delany, in Life & Corr. (1861), III. 451. You walk with your stick as with a truncheon, whilst we poor invalids make use of ours as a walking-staff.
3. A staff carried as a symbol of office, command, or authority; a marshal’s baton; most freq. in modern usage, a short staff or club with which a police constable is armed.
1573. in Feuillerat, Revels Q. Eliz. (1908), 203. A Trunchin for the dictator.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., II. ii. 61. Not the Kings Crowne; nor the deputed sword, The Marshalls Truncheon, nor the Iudges Robe Become them with one halfe so good a grace As mercie does.
1728. Morgan, Algiers, I. iii. 43. An express Embassy, attended with an Ivory Truncheon and a Triumphal Robe.
1843. Lytton, Last Bar., VII. iii. You are come … to take the command of the troops…, and into your hands, I resign this truncheon.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xiv. III. 412. For his religion [Schomberg] had resigned a splendid income, had laid down the truncheon of a Marshal of France.
1880. McCarthy, Own Times, IV. li. 82. Stones were thrown on the one side and truncheons used on the other.
† b. fig. Cf. TRUNK sb. 1 b, quot. 1586. Obs.
1601. ? Marston, Pasquil & Kath., IV. 115. For such a one to yoke her free sweet youth Vnto a Lowne,… A gilden Trunchion, fie! ’tis slauish vile.
4. † a. The stem or stock of a tree. Obs. rare.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., I. vi. (Rolls), 28. Tho bowis grewen out of stockis or tronchons, and the tronchons or schaftis grewen out of the roote.
b. A length cut from a plant, esp. one used for grafting or planting; a stout cutting. Now rare.
1572. Mascall, Plant. & Graff. (1592), 17. An other way to set Mulberies … cut … great Mulberie bowes or stockes, asunder in ye bodie (with a saw) in troncheons a foot long or more,… make a … furrow in good earth well and deepe, so that ye may couer … your troncheons.
1664. Evelyn, Sylva, I. xviii. (1729), 86. [Alders] are propagated of Trunchions … the Trunchions being set as big as the Small of one’s Leg.
1725. Bradley’s Fam. Dict., s.v. Lime true, The Truncheons make far better Coal for Gun-Powder, than that of Alder it self. Ibid., s.v. Sallow, When you Graft Sallow, take a Truncheon as big as your Wrist, of two Foot and an half long.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 127. Neither wild truncheons on the olive graft.
† 5. An intestinal worm, short and thick in form, parasitic in horses. Obs.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 504/1. Trunchon, wyrme, lumbricus.
1530. Palsgr., 283/2. Trunchon a worme.
1565. Blundevil, Horsemanship, IV. xcvi. (1580), 43. In a Horses guts do breede three kinds of wormes:… The third be short and thicke, like the end of a mans little finger, and therefore be called Troncheons.
c. 1720. W. Gibson, Farrier’s Guide, II. xxxix. (1738), 142. Several kinds of Vermin bred in the bodies of Horses, which go under the Denomination of Bots, Worms and Trunchions.
1748. trans. Vegetius’ Distempers Horses, 84. Another Drench for Worms, Botts and Truncheons.
† 6. ‘The solid part of a horse’s tail, towards the croup’ (Littré s.v. Tronçon). Obs. rare–1.
1639. T. de Gray, Compl. Horsem., 24. The hams dry, and streight, the trunchion small, long, well set on, and well couched.
¶ 7. Erroneously used for TRUNCHEOUR, TRENCHER1 2 or 3. Obs.
1548. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., IX. 167. For serving of his gracis tabill upoun tuelf sylver trunscheones.
1739. ‘R. Bull,’ trans. Dedekindus’ Grobianus, 131. Trojans their Tables ate, eat thou thy Truncheon.
8. attrib. and Comb., as truncheon-bearer, -fashion, officer, -sceptre; truncheon-snake (see quot.); truncheon-wise adv., in the manner or form of a truncheon.
1896. Westm. Gaz., 18 Feb., 5/2. Yesterday was a busy … day for *truncheon-bearers all over London.
1912. S. R. Driver, in Expositor, Jan., 35. Out of Machir came down truncheon-bearers.
1750. R. Pococke, Trav. (1888), 71. A sceptre … in the *truncheon fashion, having a round head guarded with points.
1708. Mem. Right Villainous John Hall (1714), 14. Out jump Four *Trunchion Officers (who only hate Religion because it condemns their Vices) from their Hovel.
1814. Sporting Mag., XLIV. 147. Brandishing his *truncheon-sceptre.
1736. Mortimer, in Phil. Trans., XXXIX. 254. Vipera fusca: The brown Viper in Virginia: In Carolina it is called the *Truncheon-Snake.
1572. Mascall, Plant. & Graff. (1592), 43. Certaine … trees … which in cutting the great branches ther of *truncheon wise, doe renew againe.
Hence Truncheoner, Truncheonist (nonce-wds.), one who bears a truncheon.
1613. Shaks., Hen. VIII., V. iv. 54. I … hit that Woman, who cryed out Clubbes, when I might see from farre, some forty Truncheoners [Wks. (ed. Johnson, 1765) truncheoneers] draw to her succour.
1854. Tait’s Mag., XXI. 372. Circumscribed … by 184 B and his co-truncheonists.
