matchlock

[ mach-lok ]

/ ˈmætʃˌlɒk /

noun

an old form of gunlock in which the priming was ignited by a slow match.

a hand gun, usually a musket, with such a lock.

Nearby words

matchet, matching, matchless, matchlessly, matchlist, matchlock, matchmaker, matchmaking, matchmark, matchstick, matchup

Origin of matchlock

First recorded in 1630–40; match¹ + lock¹

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

Examples from the Web for matchlock

Swords and creeses were drawn, and stout adherents were not wanting with spear and matchlock to support their respective leaders.
The Highlands of Ethiopia|William Cornwallis Harris
The Pombo next took a matchlock, which he rested on his victim's forehead and then discharged upward.
An Explorer's Adventures in Tibet|A. Henry Savage Landor
The crossbow and the matchlock had supplanted the longbow when Columbus sailed for the New World.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope
They affirm that he shoots an arrow very skilfully, and that he handles with great dexterity the lance and the matchlock.
Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China|Evariste Regis Huc

“We can sell our lives dearly, at least,” said Avery, looking to his matchlock.
Robin Tremayne|Emily Sarah Holt

British Dictionary definitions for matchlock

matchlock

/ (ˈmætʃˌlɒk) /

noun

an obsolete type of gunlock igniting the powder by means of a slow match

a gun having such a lock

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 matchlock

matchlock

1690s, from match (n.1), in reference to the firing mechanism, + lock (n.1) in the firearm sense (1540s); probably so called for its resemblance to a door-latching device.