musket

American  

[muhs-kit] / ˈmʌs kɪt /

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.

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musket British  

/ ˈmʌskɪt /

noun

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

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

D'Artagnan is believed to have been hit in the throat by a musket ball as Louis XIV sought to capture Maastricht.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

The couple are seen side by side in period costume, as Anna hands John a cartridge to reload his musket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

I recently discovered that if you walk around New York City while carrying an 18th-century musket, you get a lot of questions.

From Slate • May 8, 2024

Would there be any musket balls, messages from students, or clues to historical mysteries?

From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2023

While he slept, a spark must have lit the powder bag—a spark from someone’s pipe or from the slow match on someone’s musket.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

• carbine
• rifle