firelock en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈfaɪ(ə)ɹˌlɑk/ (General-American)
- /ˈfaɪəlɒk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From fire + lock.
Meanings
- (historical) A form of gunlock, in which the priming is ignited by a spark.
-
(broadly, historical) A firearm using such a gunlock.
Before we were out of the forest, however, we saw about ten peasants, some armed with firelocks [translating Feuer-rohren], others busy burying something.
1999, Jakob Grimmelshausen, translated by Mike Mitchell, Simplicius Simplicissimus, Dedalus, published 2016, page 48:Alfred, surprised to meet his father, whom he thought absent from home, […] stood, holding his firelock in one hand, and his hat in the other […]
1824, Town and Country Tales, page 115:He looked round for his gun, but in place of the clean well-oiled fowing-piece, he found an old firelock lying by him, the barrel encrusted with rust, the lock falling off, and the stock worm-eaten.
1819 June 23, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rip Van Winkle”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number I, New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC, pages 76–77:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| firelocks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (1)
bg кремъклийка (form of gunlock)