arbalest

or ar·ba·list

[ahr-buh-list]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arbalest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

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

Related formsar·ba·lest·er, ar·ba·list·er

[ahr-buh-lis-ter] /ˈɑr bəˌlɪs tər/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arbalest

This distinctive form of the arbalest shaft is carefully kept in view in the illumination from Add.
Ancient Armour and Weapons in Europe|John Hewitt
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
And hark ye, by the way, unwind the arbalest before you cross; it is ever well to be on the safe side.
A Monk of Fife|Andrew Lang
The cross-bow, or arbalest, does not appear to have been used in war until the close of the twelfth century.
Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages|Edward Lewes Cutts

"On thy back," said he sharply, and seizing the arbalest and taking a stroke forward he aided the desired movement.
The Cloister and the Hearth|Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for arbalest

arbalest

arbalist

noun

a large medieval crossbow, usually cocked by mechanical means

Word Origin for 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

Word Origin and History for arbalest

arbalest

"crossbow," c.1300, from Old French arbaleste "large crossbow with a crank" (12c., Modern French arbalète), from Vulgar Latin arbalista, from Late Latin arcuballista "catapult," from Latin arcus "bow" (see arc (n.)) + ballista "machine for throwing projectiles" (see ballistic). German armbrust is from the same French word but mangled by folk etymology.