Dictionary.com

crossbow

[ kraws-boh, kros- ]
/ ˈkrɔsˌboʊ, ˈkrɒs- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR crossbow

noun

a medieval weapon consisting of a bow fixed transversely on a stock having a trigger mechanism to release the bowstring, and often incorporating or accompanied by a mechanism for bending the bow.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of crossbow

First recorded in 1400–50, crossbow is from the late Middle English word crossbowe.See cross, bow2

Words nearby crossbow

crossbite, crossbody, crossbolt lock, crossbones, cross-border, crossbow, crossbowman, crossbred, crossbreed, cross-breeding, cross bridging
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to crossbow

machine gun, pistol, bomb, sword, tear gas, gun, missile, nerve gas, cannon, rifle, machete, ammunition, firearm, knife, shotgun, revolver, catapult, dagger, spear, bayonet

Example sentences from the Web for crossbow

British Dictionary definitions for crossbow

crossbow
/ (ˈkrɒsˌbəʊ) /

noun

a type of medieval bow fixed transversely on a wooden stock grooved to direct a square-headed arrow (quarrel)

Derived forms of crossbow

crossbowman, noun
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