I. ˈtrənchən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English tronchoun, from Middle French tronchon, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin truncion-, truncio, from Latin truncus trunk, torso + -ion-, -io -ion — more at truncate
1. : a broken remnant especially of a shattered spear or lance
an arm embowed in armor … holding a truncheon of a broken lance — Burke's Peerage
2.
a. obsolete : a heavy club : bludgeon
thy leg a stick compared with this truncheon — Shakespeare
b. : a staff carried as a symbol of authority ; especially : baton
a king at arms, whose hand the armorial truncheon held — Sir Walter Scott
c. : a policeman's billy : nightstick
constables kept the crowd off with truncheons — Arnold Bennett
3. : a relatively thick stem cutting or long branch (as of a willow) used for propagating a plant
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
archaic : to beat with a truncheon