Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A medieval missile launcher designed on the principle of the crossbow.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- See arbalist, arbalister.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A crossbow, consisting of a steel bow set in a shaft of wood, furnished with a string and a trigger, and a mechanical device for bending the bow. It served to throw arrows, darts, bullets, etc.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles
Etymologies
- Middle English arblast, from Old English, from Old French arbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista : Latin arcus, bow + Latin ballista, ballista; see ballista.
Examples
“Owena-da’s first design was what O’Brien had called an "arbalest" but looked to Sisko like a crossbow, a "steel" archer’s bow mounted on a shaft, with a trigger to loosen the string.”
“March 12, 2010, 10: 58 pm jukeboxgrad says: arbalest: you are evading my question following the quotes at the beginning of my 11: 14PM post.”
“March 9, 2010, 9: 03 pm jukeboxgrad says: arbalest:”
“March 10, 2010, 3: 44 am jukeboxgrad says: arbalest:”
“March 11, 2010, 2: 04 am jukeboxgrad says: arbalest:”
“TargetPracticing in reply to a comment from arbalest”
“No mean shot with an arbalest, the queen uses the Star of Khorala to summon aid, allowing Conan, the Guard Captain and herself freedom.”
“Its thick sides are capable of stopping all projectiles from arbalest * and petard * type weapons systems, something sadly lacking in our mismanaged Canadian Armed Forces, suffering under the brutal heteronormative rule of the Harperites.”
“Now, an arbalest is a different matter altogether.”
Today’s Quote to Athena, Made That Much More Interesting By Its Utter Lack of Context « Whatever
“Very few problems are so intractable that the judicious use of an arbalest cannot help.”
Today’s Quote to Athena, Made That Much More Interesting By Its Utter Lack of Context « Whatever
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘arbalest’.
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
chained_bear See also arbalist, arbalestier. Oct 10, 2008
oroboros a crossbow. see arblaster Dec 28, 2006