|pēə|lā noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from French dialect (Valais canton, Switzerland & Piedmont), diminutive of piola small ax, from (assumed) Middle French dialect, from Old Provençal, dim of apcha, abcha battle-ax, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hāppa sickle, pruning knife — more at hash
: a two-headed ice ax used in mountaineering (as in Switzerland)