in the military art, a short broad dagger, formerly with a round handle fitted for the bore of a firelock, to be fixed there after the soldier had fired; but they are now made with iron handles and rings, that go over the muzzle of the firelock, and are screwed fast, so that the soldier fires with his bayonet on the muzzle of his piece, and is ready to act against the horse. This use of the bayonet fastened on the muzzle of the firelock was a great improvement, first introduced by the French, and to which, according to M. Folard, they owed a great part of their victories in the last century; and to the neglect of this in the next succeeding war, and trifling to their fire, the same author attributes most of the losses they sustained. At the siege of Malta, a weapon called pila ignea was contrived to oppose the bayonets, being in some measure the converse thereof; as the latter consists of a dagger added to a fire-arm, the former consisted of a fire-arm added to a pilum or pike.

Of late the bayonet has come into very general use; and battles have been won by it without firing a shot. This way of fighting was chiefly reformed by the late king of Prussia, who made his troops rush forward at once with bayonets on the enemy.