gunflint

American

[guhn-flint] / ˈgʌnˌflɪnt /

noun

the flint in a flintlock.

gunflint British

/ ˈɡʌnˌflɪnt /

noun

a piece of flint in a flintlock's hammer used to strike the spark that ignites the charge

"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 gunflint

First recorded in 1725–35; gun ¹ + flint

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.

Returning to the display of artefacts in neatly labelled zip-lock bags, Prof DeCorse points out the rusty gunflint, which he says was in use in England in the early 17th Century.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2023

"It was one of those cases in which one has to resort to the gunflint."

From Colomba by Loyd, Lady Mary Sophia (Hely-Hutchinson)

The glory of the rabbits remains, but the gunflint trade was, of course, vanished.

From Through East Anglia in a Motor Car by Vincent, J. E. (James Edmund)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023