matchlock

matchlock

English

Etymology

From match +‎ lock.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈmatʃlɒk/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈmæt͡ʃlɑk/
  • Audio (General American):(file)

Noun

matchlock (plural matchlocks)

  1. (historical) Early type of firearm, using a smoldering piece of cord to fire the powder in the firing pan.
    • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, ‘Dray Wara Yow Dee’, Black and White, volume 1, Folio Society, published 2004, page 372:
      I crept silently up the hill-road, but the fuse of my matchlock was wetted with the rain, and I could not slay Daoud Shah from afar.
  2. The gunlock used in such a weapon, having a slow smouldering match.

Translations

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