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arquebus

American  
[ahr-kwuh-buhs] / ˈɑr kwə bəs /
Also harquebus,

noun

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


arquebus British  
/ ˈɑːkwɪbəs /

noun

  1. 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

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

By the fifteenth century, the Janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire were using firearms like the arquebus, an early long gun, in battle.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

FOR all the centuries of refinement that separate a modern rifle from a Renaissance arquebus, the basic idea has not changed.

From Economist • May 7, 2015

You take my arquebus, and go and hide in the undergrowth among the rocks.

From The Legend of the Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegel in the land of Flanders and elsewhere by Coster, Charles de

It was evident that the cavaliere was on the alert, for a man was on guard here, armed like those below, with sword and arquebus.

From The Honour of Savelli A Romance by Levett-Yeats, S. (Sidney)

The King held a long arquebus in his hand; a page carried another of identical shape and stood behind his master ready to pass it over to him.

From The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer A Tale of the Sixteenth Century by Sue, Eug?ne

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