halberd

English halberd comes from Middle French hallebarde, borrowed from Italian alabarda, which came from Middle High German helmbarte, meaning 'broad-axe with handle.' That German word joins halm (from Proto-Germanic *helmô, 'handle') with barte ('hatchet'), itself from *bardaz, literally 'beard.'

The word traveled from German through Italian and then French before settling into English, each language reshaping its sound while keeping the core idea of a hafted axe-weapon intact.

The 'barte' element traces back to *bardaz, meaning 'beard' — the same root that gives the axe-blade its name, imagining the blade as a jutting chin of metal.