musket

[muhs-kit]

noun

1. a heavy, large-caliber smoothbore gun for infantry soldiers, introduced in the 16th century: the predecessor of the modern rifle.

2. the male sparrow hawk, Accipiter nisus.

musket

/ ˈmʌskɪt /

noun

1. a long-barrelled muzzle-loading shoulder gun used between the 16th and 18th centuries by infantry soldiers

Word History and Origins

Origin of musket¹

1580–90; < Middle French mousquet < Italian moschetto crossbow arrow, later musket, originally kind of hawk, equivalent to mosch ( a ) fly (< Latin musca ) + -etto -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of musket¹

C16: from French mousquet, from Italian moschetto arrow, earlier: sparrow hawk, from moscha a fly, from Latin musca

Example Sentences

One of Whitney’s next ventures was manufacturing muskets for the federal government.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For the guard, being a guard, was armed with a musket.

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The Spaniard brought only 11 ships, some 450 men, 16 horses and a modest collection of cannons, crossbows and arquebuses, precursors to the musket.

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Alexander Hamilton backed the idea, saying that “an essential part of the plan is to give them their freedom with their muskets.”

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Give them ropes and muskets, dress them in skins and watch them scale a replica of the Capitol, smash windows, hunt cowering politicians and attack security forces like the heroes we know them to be.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• carbine 
• rifle