Partisan vs. Spear — What's the Difference?

Used for both defensive and offensive maneuvers.

A long pole weapon with a pointed tip used for thrusting.

A pole weapon with a broad blade and side protrusions for slashing and thrusting.

Simple in design, making it effective and easy to manufacture.

Historically used by bodyguards and ceremonial troops.

Used across various cultures for combat and hunting.

Features ornate designs and craftsmanship.

One of the oldest weapons used by early humans.

Valued for its versatility and decorative appeal.

Often symbolic of martial skill and prowess.

A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as bone, flint, obsidian, iron, steel, or bronze (or other type of stone or metal).

A member of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory; a guerrilla.

A weapon with a pointed tip, typically of steel, and a long shaft, used for thrusting or throwing.

A weapon having a blade with lateral projections mounted on the end of a long shaft, used chiefly in the 1500s and 1600s.

A plant shoot, especially a pointed stem of asparagus or broccoli

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan or partisans.

Pierce or strike with a spear or other pointed object

Biased in support of a party, group, or cause

A weapon consisting of a long shaft with a sharply pointed end.

An adherent to a party or faction.

A shaft with a sharp point and barbs for spearing fish.

A fervent, sometimes militant, supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.

A soldier armed with a spear.

A member of a band of detached light, irregular troops acting behind occupying enemy lines in the ways of harassment or sabotage; a guerrilla fighter.

A slender stalk, as of asparagus.

The commander of a body of detached light troops engaged in making forays and harassing an enemy.

To pierce with a spear or other sharp object.

(historical) A long-handled spear with a triangular, double-edged blade having lateral projections, in some forms also used in boar hunting.

To catch with a thrust of the arm

(obsolete) A soldier armed with such a weapon.

(Football) To block (an opponent) by ramming with the helmet, in violation of the rules.

Serving as commander or member of a body of detached light troops.

(Sports) To jab (an opponent) with the blade of a hockey stick, in violation of the rules.

Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party.

To stab at something with a spear or other sharp object.

Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.

To sprout like a spear.

An adherent to a party or faction; esp., one who is strongly and passionately devoted to a party or an interest.

A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.

The commander of a body of detached light troops engaged in making forays and harassing an enemy.

A soldier armed with such a weapon; a spearman.

A kind of halberd or pike; also, a truncheon; a staff.

A lance with barbed prongs, used by fishermen to retrieve fish.

Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party; as, blinded by partisan zeal.

(ice hockey) An illegal maneuver using the end of a hockey stick to strike into another hockey player.

Serving as a partisan in a detached command; as, a partisan officer or corps.

(wrestling) In professional wrestling, a running tackle in which the wrestler's shoulder is driven into the opponent's midsection.

A fervent and even militant proponent of something

A shoot, as of grass; a spire.

An ardent and enthusiastic supporter of some person or activity

The feather of a horse.

A pike with a long tapering double-edged blade with lateral projections; 16th and 17th centuries

The rod to which the bucket, or plunger, of a pump is attached; a pump rod.

Devoted to a cause or party

A long, thin strip from a vegetable.

Adhering or confined to a particular sect or denomination or party;

(botany) The sprout of a plant, stalk

(obsolete) A church spire.

(transitive) To pierce with a spear.

To penetrate or strike with, or as if with, any long narrow object; to make a thrusting motion that catches an object on the tip of a long device.

(gridiron football) To tackle an opponent by ramming into them with one's helmet.

(intransitive) To shoot into a long stem, as some plants do.

To ignore as a social snub.

Male.

Pertaining to male family members.

A long, pointed weapon, used in war and hunting, by thrusting or throwing; a weapon with a long shaft and a sharp head or blade; a lance.

Fig.: A spearman.

A sharp-pointed instrument with barbs, used for stabbing fish and other animals.

A shoot, as of grass; a spire.

The rod to which the bucket, or plunger, of a pump is attached; a pump rod.

To pierce with a spear; to kill with a spear; as, to spear a fish.

To shoot into a long stem, as some plants. See Spire.

A long pointed rod used as a weapon

An implement with a shaft and barbed point used for catching fish

Pierce with a spear;

Thrust up like a spear;

The partisan is particularly associated with the 16th century and was used in Europe.

Its simplicity and effectiveness in thrusting make it a versatile and enduring weapon in combat and hunting.

The main difference lies in their design; partisans have broader blades and are used for slashing and thrusting, while spears are simpler and primarily used for thrusting.

While spears are commonly used for throwing, partisans are typically too heavy and ornate for this purpose.

Partisans are mainly ceremonial today and are not commonly used as weapons.

While ancient, the spear’s design is effective and has been adapted and used through all periods of history, making it less "primitive" and more "time-tested".

Due to its simplicity, lighter weight, and ease of use, a spear might be chosen over the more complex and heavier partisan.

The spear is significant across many cultures as a fundamental weapon for hunting and combat.

Historically, partisans were used by infantry and as ceremonial guards.

The partisan is more complex due to its ornate design and additional features like side blades, compared to the spear’s straightforward design.