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flintlock

[flint-lok]
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noun
  1. an outmoded gunlock in which a piece of flint striking against steel produces sparks that ignite the priming.
  2. a firearm with such a lock.
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Origin of flintlock

First recorded in 1675–85; flint + lock1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for flintlock

Historical Examples

  • The parted edges disclosed also the butts of two flintlock pistols.

    The Rescue

    Joseph Conrad

  • Silver glittered about the flintlock and the hardwood stock of his gun.

    The Rescue

    Joseph Conrad

  • Dave took the shotgun an' pap has grandpap's flintlock, but Billy didn't have a gun.

    The Long Roll

    Mary Johnston

  • If not he knows nothing of flintlock guns, and I must explain.

    The Big Brother

    George Cary Eggleston

  • And old Flintlock has voiced the sentiments of the entire party.

British Dictionary definitions for flintlock

flintlock

noun
  1. an obsolete gunlock in which the charge is ignited by a spark produced by a flint in the hammer
  2. a firearm having such a lock
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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 flintlock

n.

1680s as a type of musket-firing mechanism, from flint + lock (n.1).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper