mousquet

musket

noun moos-KEH Rare

Origin: from Italian moschetto, a type of sparrowhawk

Usage Note

Mousquet is the historical muzzle-loading firearm of the 16th–18th centuries. The armed foot soldiers who carried it were called mousquetaires (m), immortalised in Dumas's Les Trois Mousquetaires. The final -t is silent. Not to be confused with mousqueton (a carabiner clip or carbine).

Examples

"Le soldat chargeait son mousquet lentement."

Natural Translation

The soldier loaded his musket slowly.

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