arbalest

noun

ar·ba·lest ˈär-bə-list

variants or arbalist

: a crossbow especially of medieval times

Did you know?

The arbalest was the distance weapon of choice for medieval armies. It was first mentioned in 1100 in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of Saxon England. In 1622 British historian Peter Heylyn wrote that Richard the Lion-Hearted, the 12th-century English monarch, was "slain by a shot from an Arbalist." The crossbow's name is one of many terms that came into English from Old French when the Normans took control of England after the Battle of Hastings; our word is adapted from "arbaleste," the French name of the weapon. The French, in turn, derived their word from a combination of Latin arcus (meaning "bow") and "ballista" ("an ancient crossbow for hurling large missiles").

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arblast, from Anglo-French arblaste, arcbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista, from Latin arcus bow + ballista — more at arrow

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of arbalest was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century