'bayonet' originates from French, specifically the word 'bayonnette', ultimately named after the town 'Bayonne' in France.

'bayonet' changed from French 'bayonnette' (a small blade associated with Bayonne) and entered English in the 17th century as 'bayonet'; the verb sense 'to fix a bayonet to' and then 'to stab with a bayonet' developed from the noun.

Initially, it referred to the small blade or the act of fixing the blade to a musket; over time it also came to mean the action 'to stab with a bayonet', which is the modern verbal sense.