English
Etymology
L. term|pilum#Latin|pilum
Noun
en-noun|pil|a|pl2=pilums
- A Roman military javelin.
#*1776 Besides a lighter spear, the Roman legionary grasped in his right hand the formidable pilum, a ponderous javelin whose utmost length was about six feet and which was terminated by a massy triangular point of steel of about eighteen inches. This instrument was indeed much inferior to our modern fire-arms; since it was exhausted by a single discharge at the distance of only ten or twelve paces. Yet when it was launched by a skilled and firm hand, there was not any cavalry that durst venture within its reach, or any shield or corslet that could withstand the impetuosity of its weight. : The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire : Edward Gibbon. This edition Penguin 2000. p. 21
References
w:pilum|Wikipedia article on Pila
Category:English nouns with irregular plurals
Latin
Noun
pilum n Wiktionary Appendix:Latin second declension|2nd declension
- a javelin, throwing spear
See also
verutum
aclis
teres
Category:Latin nouns
fr:pilum
ru:pilum
vi:pilum
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