matchlock
Americannoun
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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.
noun
-
an obsolete type of gunlock igniting the powder by means of a slow match
-
a gun having such a lock
Etymology
Origin of matchlock
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.
European military commanders consistently reported that Indian archers could fire deadly arrows faster and more accurately than the clumsy matchlock guns of the explorers.
From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018
Would we still be living in the world of the horse and cart, the quill pen and the matchlock firearm?
From Nature • Oct. 24, 2017
One or another of these regiments has assisted at most of England's battles, from the time of the pike and the matchlock.
From Time Magazine Archive
Harry Byrd was not on the Senate floor when Freshman Humphrey first discharged his matchlock.
From Time Magazine Archive
But the matchlock was the same thickness from end to end, and till now, had not been tried to determine the accuracy of the shooting.
From Bevis The Story of a Boy by Jefferies, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
