Pe-tärd′, n.

n. [Fr. pétard, from peter, to break wind, to crack, to explode; Lat. pedere, peditum, It. & Sp. petardo.] (Mil.) An engine of war made of metal, to be loaded with powder and fixed on a madrier or plank, and formerly used to break gates, barricades, draw-bridges, and the like, by explosion; also, a box of wood filled with powder, used for the same purpose.