trebuchet
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of trebuchet
1300–50; Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to trebuch ( er ) to overturn, fall ( tre ( s ) across, over (< Latin trāns- trans- ) + buc trunk of body < Germanic; compare Old English būc belly) + -et -et
Explanation
A trebuchet is a kind of catapult that was used to hurl heavy stones or other projectiles during battles in the Middle Ages. Don't try using a trebuchet for a spit wad. A straw will suffice. Trebuchets were the most powerful catapults used in the Middle Ages, and they were important weapons during military siege attacks on enemy fortifications. Using a counterweight, a trebuchet could hurl an extremely large and heavy rock very fast, potentially causing a lot of damage. The twelfth century Old French word trebuchet means "siege engine," from trebucher, "to overturn or overthrow."
Vocabulary lists containing trebuchet
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3
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Medieval Europe - Middle School
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"Nimona" by Noelle Stevenson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bertrand continues to tinker, and as the misses pile up, I revise my earlier opinion: Aiming a trebuchet is neither art nor science; it’s voodoo.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025
With 10:02 left in the second quarter Saturday, UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took a shotgun snap, dropped three steps and uncorked a trebuchet, as wide receiver Jalen McMillan sprinted uncovered up the seam.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 10, 2022
In 1995, they let him leave a trebuchet in, too: my childhood Royal Knight’s Castle, designed by Petersen, has a tiny rock flinger on the battlements you can flick with one finger.
From The Verge ● Jun. 18, 2022
Imperious Megadeth poobah fires succession of pontifical edicts from the flaming trebuchet of his own ego.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 13, 2016
Last game he had brought her out too soon and lost her to a trebuchet.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
