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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A medieval catapult for hurling heavy stones.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In medieval warfare, a missile engine resembling the ballista. It was used especially by besiegers, for making a breach or for casting stones and other missiles into beleaguered towns and castles. It consisted of a beam called the verge, turning on a horizontal axis supported upon uprights. At one end of the verge was fixed a heavy weight, and at the other a sort of sling to contain the projectile—a device which greatly increased its force. To discharge the engine, the loaded end of the verge was drawn back by means of a windlass, and suddenly let go. It was possible to attain with the trebuchet great accuracy of fire. Prince Louis Napoleon, afterward Napoleon III., caused to be constructed in 1850 a model trebuchet which gave remarkable results.
  2. n. A kind of balance or scales used in weighing coins or other small articles, the pan containing which tilts over if the balance is not exact.
  3. n. A kind of trap for catching small birds or animals by the tilting of the part on which the bait is placed.
  4. n. A cucking-stool.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end. Considered to be the technological successor to the catapult.
  2. n. A torture device for dunking suspected witches by means of a chair attached to the end of a long pole.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A cucking stool; a tumbrel.
  2. n. A military engine used in the Middle Ages for throwing stones, etc. It acted by means of a great weight fastened to the short arm of a lever, which, being let fall, raised the end of the long arm with great velocity, hurling stones with much force.
  3. n. obsolete A kind of balance for weighing.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles

Etymologies

  1. From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier ("to overthrow, topple"), from tre- + *buchier, from Old French buc ("trunk of the body"), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, abdomen, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōw- (“to blow, swell”). Cognate with Old High German būh ("belly"), Old English būc ("belly, trunk"). More at bouk. (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English, from Old French, from trebucher, to overthrow : tre-, over (from Latin trāns-; see trans-) + but, trunk of the body (of Germanic origin). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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  • ravages also a typeface. popular. Dec 15, 2007

  • fuffbee Boone: I don't get you, man. One minute you're quoting Nietzsche, now all of a sudden you're an engineer. I don't think I can spell 'trebuchet'.
    Locke: There's a 'T' on the end.
    - Lost May 4, 2007

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‘trebuchet’ has been looked up 2641 times, loved by 5 people, added to 61 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 16.