Arquebus vs. Matchlock

Arquebusnoun

.

Arquebusverb

To shoot with an arquebus.

Arquebusnoun

A sort of hand gun or firearm a contrivance answering to a trigger, by which the burning match was applied. The musket was a later invention.

Arquebusnoun

an obsolete firearm with a long barrel

Arquebus

An arquebus ( AR-k(w)ib-əs) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier.

Matchlocknoun

Early type of firearm, using a smoldering piece of cord to fire the powder in the firing pan.

Matchlocknoun

The gunlock used in such a weapon, having a slow smouldering match, see: slow match.

Matchlocknoun

An old form of gunlock containing a match for firing the priming; hence, a musket fired by means of a match.

Matchlocknoun

an early style of musket; had a slow burning wick that could be lowered into a hole in the breech to ignite the charge

Matchlock

The matchlock was the first mechanism invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. Before this, firearms (like the hand cannon) had to be fired by applying a lit match (or equivalent) to the priming powder in the flash pan by hand; this had to be done carefully, taking most of the soldier's concentration at the moment of firing, or in some cases required a second soldier to fire the weapon while the first held the weapon steady.