Of an object or thing. Of a staff or weapon: strong, massive, stout. Obsolete (Scottish in later use).

Of a weapon: Hard, stout, formidable. Obsolete.

Of things, in various transferred uses. Of blows, weapons: Inflicting severe pain or injury. Obsolete.

Inclined or ready to take vengeance or inflict retaliative injury. (Cf. vengeful, adj. 1.) Of weapons.

Of weapons: Difficult to handle or wield. Also transferred.

Inflicting vengeance; serving as an instrument of vengeance. Said of a weapon, the hand or arm, etc.

Of a weapon: made or tempered for an evil purpose. Obsolete. rare.

That has not been conquered, tried, worked, etc. Of a soldier, etc., or a weapon: untried in combat. In later use archaic (now rare).

Made of lath.

Designed or calculated to inflict minimal pain. Cf. humane killer n. at compounds.