Associations to the word «Matchlock»

Wiktionary

MATCHLOCK, noun. Early type of firearm, using a smoldering piece of cord to fire the powder in the firing pan.
MATCHLOCK, noun. The gunlock used in such a weapon, having a slow smouldering match, see: slow match.

Dictionary definition

MATCHLOCK, noun. An early style of musket; a slow-burning wick would be lowered into a hole in the breech to ignite the charge.

Wise words

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.