matchlock

American  

[mach-lok] / ˈmætʃˌlɒk /

noun

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

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

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matchlock British  

/ ˈmætʃˌlɒk /

noun

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

2. a gun having such a lock

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Etymology

Origin of matchlock

First recorded in 1630–40; match ¹ + lock ¹

Example Sentences

Would we still be living in the world of the horse and cart, the quill pen and the matchlock firearm?

From Nature

We are as much bygones as the old flint musket or the matchlock.

From Project Gutenberg

The musketeers carried matchlocks, useless in wet weather, and European-made double-barrelled guns, muskets, and pistols, generally of very inferior quality.

From Project Gutenberg

"Our matchlocks are useless, they have been robbed of their flints," said the soldiers, who had attempted to fire them at the same time as Chow had fired the cannon.

From Project Gutenberg

As we threaded our path through the crowd of men and boys I noticed that all were armed with rifles or old-time firelocks, and some even with ancient blunderbusses and bell-muzzled matchlocks.

From Project Gutenberg