A "petard" is a "small bomb used to blow in doors and breach walls" and comes from the French , which, through Middle French () and Old French (), ultimately comes from the Latin ("to break wind") or, much more commonly, the slang form "to fart". Although Shakespeare's audiences were probably not familiar with the origin of the word, the related French word was in common use in English by the 17th century meaning "gun shot of farting" making it appear likely that the double-meaning was intended by the Bard as a joke.
