matchlock

[mach-lok]

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.

matchlock

/ ˈmætʃˌlɒk /

noun

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

2. a gun having such a lock

Word History and Origins

Origin of matchlock¹

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

Example Sentences

“One of those women I had thrown under an elephant, the other shot with a matchlock.”

Read more on New York Times

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

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At that time, the word “arms” meant muskets and matchlock rifles, not weapons that enable an emotionally unbalanced person to commit mass murder in seconds.

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

Read more on Project Gutenberg

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

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