poleaxe

(us -ax) n. 1 hist. = *battleaxe 1. 2 butcher's axe. v. (-xing) 1 hit or kill with a poleaxe. 2 (esp. As poleaxed adj.) Colloq. Dumbfound, overwhelm. [low german or dutch: related to *poll, *axe]

n. Anciently, a kind of battle-ax with a long handle; later, an ax or hatchet with a short handle, and a head variously patterned; -- used by soldiers, and also by sailors in boarding a vessel.