flintlock
nounUK /ˈflɪntˌlɒk/
Etymology From flint + lock.
1
An early type of firearm, using a spring-loaded flint to strike sparks into the firing pan.
- But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window,[…].1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
2
A type of lock used on muskets, rifles, and pistols from the early 17th to the mid-19th century.
- Derived terms
- flintlock mechanism