musket

[ muhs-kit ]

/ ˈmʌs kɪt /

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noun

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

the male sparrow hawk, Accipiter nisus.

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Origin of musket

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

Words nearby musket

muskeg, Muskego, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, muskellunge, musket, musketeer, musketry, muskie, Muskingum, musk mallow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use musket in a sentence

If you were so unlucky as to be hit by a musket ball, your likely cause of death would have been infection.
If Our Politicians Could See What We See: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon on Gun Violence|Jay Wellons|June 23, 2022|Time
“One hundred warriors show up armed to the teeth after they heard muskets fired,” said Paula Peters.
This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later.|Dana Hedgpeth|November 4, 2021|Washington Post
Ousamequin and his men showed up only after the English in their revelry shot off some of their muskets.
This tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later.|Dana Hedgpeth|November 4, 2021|Washington Post
A fellow rudely clad—a hybrid between man-at-arms and lackey—lounged on a musket to confront them in the gateway.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

Keeping up an ululating clamor of commands, he ran to the roof of the dwelling, snatched up a musket and took steady aim.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
They were well-acquainted with the effects of a musket, although not the least alarmed at having one fired off near them.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
Upon none more so than he, who shoulders his musket, girds on his sword, and faces the enemy on to the charge.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany
One of these sentinels was the farmer Andrew Black, with a cavalry sword belted to his waist, and a rusty musket on his shoulder.
Hunted and Harried|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for musket

musket

/ (ˈmʌskɪt) /

noun

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

Word Origin for musket

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

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

musket

Origin of musket

Words nearby musket

Words related to musket

How to use musket in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for musket

Word Origin for musket