also: ごぼうけん
Colloquial, archaic term for a bayonet, literally 'burdock sword', likely from the shape or from soldiers' slang. Modern term is 銃剣.
See also: 銃剣
Soldiers in the old days fought with bayonets fixed to their rifles.
「ゴボウ剣」は今ではほとんど使われない古い言い方だ。
'Gobōken' is an old term that is hardly used nowadays.
Standard katakana-kanji spelling; the katakana part reflects the colloquial origin.
Full kanji spelling using 牛蒡 for burdock; less common and may be unfamiliar to some readers.
Compound of ゴボウ (burdock) and 剣 (sword). The exact origin is uncertain; it may refer to the shape of a bayonet resembling a burdock root, or it may have been soldiers' slang.