A bec de corbin (Modern French: Bec de corbeau, [bɛk də kɔʁ.bo]) is a type of polearm and war hammer that was popular in late medieval Europe.
[citation needed] The hammer face balancing the beak was often blunt instead of the multi-pronged Lucerne, and the beak tended to be stouter; better designed for tearing into plate armor, mail, or gambeson.
[2] The spike mounted on the top of the head was also not nearly as long and thin as on the Lucerne.
Bec de corbin is sometimes used as a general term to describe several types of war hammer, such as mauls and horseman's picks.
A similar name, bec de faucon (meaning "falcon's beak"), refers to a related weapon called a poleaxe or, more specifically, to the hook on its reverse side.