Targe

//tɑɹd͡ʒ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A small shield. archaic

    "Or burley Hero [Ajax the Great] Sev'nfold Targe who bore, / With Choler furibund, vindictive Steel / Plunging in Brutal Gore; [...]"

  2. 2
    A pendant or tassel. archaic

Synonyms

All synonyms
target

Example

More examples

"Or burley Hero [Ajax the Great] Sev'nfold Targe who bore, / With Choler furibund, vindictive Steel / Plunging in Brutal Gore; [...]"

Etymology

From Middle English targe, either: * from Old French targe, from Frankish *targā (“buckler”); or * from Old English targa (masculine) and targe (feminine); both ultimately from Old Norse targa (“round shield”) from Proto-Germanic *targǭ (“edge”), from Proto-Indo-European *derǵʰ- (“fenced lot”). Akin to Old High German zarga (“side wall, rim”) (German Zarge (“border, frame”)). However, the soft -g- seems to indicate a French origin.

More for "targe"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.