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Glite Dictionary
carabineer

carabineer

1 9.9
A soldier who fights on horseback and uses a short rifle
  • noun
  • /ˌkɛrəˈbɪnɪr/
  • Archaic
translation icon : carabinero
  • The unit deployed several skilled carabineers who maneuvered expertly on horseback.

Examples

  • The carabineer was an essential part of the cavalry's equipment during historical battles.

  • Okay, now, put on your carabineer.

    Executive Decision (1996)

  • NAPOLEON: Oh, and a couple of those carabineers.

    The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007)

  • I hammered in two pitons, clipped four spring-gate carabineers to them, and tied off the rope.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I hammered in a piton to secure our belay, clipped a new rope to the carabineers on our climbing rigs, repaired the front points on her boots, then cut the old rope.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • With his carabineer strapped to his saddle, the soldier prepared for the upcoming charge.

Synonyms

cavalryman
vscarabineer
2 8.1

A soldier who fights on horseback or in vehicles

stresses weapon and historical mounted role rather than modern unit service
carbineer
vscarabineer
  • Archaic
9.9

A soldier on horseback who carries a short rifle

is the alternate historical spelling for the same soldier term
carabinier
vscarabineer
  • Archaic
9.9

A soldier on horseback who carries a short rifle, often in older armies

is the same concept expressed in another regional or older form
cavalry soldier
vscarabineer
6.0

A soldier who fights on horseback

focuses on being armed with a carbine rather than only being mounted

Surface Forms

carabineer singular
carabineers plural

Morphology

carabineer = carbine (transparent) = carbine + eer

The noun is a straightforward agentive formation: someone associated with a 'carbine' (short cavalry rifle), so the meaning is directly derivable from 'carbine' + '-eer'.

Etymology

Carabineer comes from the gun word carbine, a 'short rifle' used by soldiers. So a carabineer was originally a soldier, often 'on horseback', who carried a carbine, which is why the word now means a mounted soldier armed with that short gun.