arquebus

American

[ahr-kwuh-buhs] / ˈɑr kwə bəs /

Also harquebus,

noun

any of several small-caliber long guns operated by a matchlock or wheel-lock mechanism, dating from about 1400.

arquebus British

/ ˈɑːkwɪbəs /

noun

Also called: hackbut. hagbut. a portable long-barrelled gun dating from the 15th century: fired by a wheel-lock or matchlock

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

arquebuses

plural

Etymology

Origin of arquebus

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French harquebusche (with intrusive -r- ), from Middle Dutch hākebusse, equivalent to hāke “hook“ + busse “gun” (literally, “box”), from Late Latin buxis for Latin buxus “box tree, boxwood; flute made from boxwood”; see box ¹

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023