arbalest

or ar·ba·list

[ ahr-buh-list ]

See synonyms for arbalest on Thesaurus.com

noun

a powerful medieval crossbow with a steel bow, used to shoot stones, metal balls, arrows, etc.

Origin of arbalest

before 1100; <Old French arbaleste<Old Provençal <Late Latin arcuballista (see arc, ballista); replacing Middle English, late Old English arblast<Old French

Other words from arbalest

ar·ba·lest·er, ar·ba·list·er [ahr-buh-lis-ter], /ˈɑr bəˌlɪs tər/, noun

Words Nearby arbalest

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use arbalest in a sentence

Then Segramore kept the boat off, and Kempion bent his arbalest bow and aimed an arrow at the head of the beast.
Fairy Tales from Many Lands | Katherine Pyle
His Queries of course have reference to the long bow, and not to the arbalest, or cross-bow.
Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 99, September 20, 1851 | Various
Then opening a large chest that stood against the wall, he rummaged a moment, and at last withdrew an arbalest quarrel.
Love-at-Arms | Raphael Sabatini
"Wrapped round an arbalest-bolt that fell on the ramparts yesterday whilst I was walking there alone," returned Gonzaga coolly.
Love-at-Arms | Raphael Sabatini
Through an arrow-slit he had watched him take down and examine an arbalest, place it on the table and sit down to write.
Love-at-Arms | Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for arbalest

arbalest

arbalist

/ (ˈɑːbəlɪst) /

noun

a large medieval crossbow, usually cocked by mechanical means

Origin of arbalest

C11: from Old French arbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista, from Latin arcus bow + ballista

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

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