- musket
- \ \ see MOSQUITO
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
musket
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musket — [mus′kət] n. [MFr mosquet < It moschetto, musket, orig., fledged arrow < mosca, a fly < L musca: see MIDGE] a smoothbore, long barreled firearm, used esp. by infantry soldiers before the invention of the rifle … English World dictionary
Musket — Mus ket, n. [F. mousquet, It. moschetto, formerly, a kind of hawk; cf. OF. mousket, moschet, a kind of hawk falcon, F. mouchet, prop., a little fly (the hawk prob. being named from its size), fr. L. musca a fly. Cf. {Mosquito}.] [Sometimes… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
musket — (n.) firearm for infantry (later replaced by the rifle), 1580s, from M.Fr. mousquette, also the name of a kind of sparrow hawk, dim. of mosca a fly, from L. musca (see MIDGE (Cf. midge)). The hawk so called either for its size or because it looks … Etymology dictionary
musket — ► NOUN historical ▪ a light gun with a long barrel, typically smooth bored and fired from the shoulder. ORIGIN French mousquet, from Italian moschetto crossbow bolt … English terms dictionary
Musket — Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. A musket is a muzzle loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer.… … Wikipedia
musket — /mus kit/, n. 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. [1580 90; < MF mousquet < It moschetto crossbow arrow,… … Universalium
musket — UK [ˈmʌskɪt] / US [ˈmʌskət] noun [countable] Word forms musket : singular musket plural muskets a type of long gun used by soldiers before the invention of the rifle … English dictionary
musket — n. hist. an infantryman s (esp. smooth bored) light gun, often supported on the shoulder. Phrases and idioms: musket shot 1 a shot fired from a musket. 2 the range of this shot. Etymology: F mousquet f. It. moschetto crossbow bolt f. mosca fly … Useful english dictionary
musket — noun /mʌskʌt,mʌskɪt/ A species of firearm formerly carried by the infantry of an army. It was originally fired by means of a match, or matchlock, for which several mechanical appliances (including the flintlock, and finally the … Wiktionary
musket — mus|ket [ˈmʌskıt] n [Date: 1500 1600; : French; Origin: mousquet, from Old Italian moschetto arrow, musket , from mosca fly ] a type of gun used in the past … Dictionary of contemporary English
musket — [[t]mʌ̱skɪt[/t]] muskets N COUNT A musket was an early type of gun with a long barrel, which was used before rifles were invented … English dictionary
