culverin

9.9

An old long-barrelled cannon used in wars in the 1500s and 1600s

noun
/ˈkəlvərɪn/

Archaic

: culverín

Soldiers would often use culverins as frontline artillery to breach enemy defenses.

Examples

In the 17th century, armies relied on culverins for their long-range firepower during battles.
The museum displayed a collection of antique weapons, including several culverins from the Renaissance period.
Field pieces, culverins, bombards, basilisk's,

Academic text (2016)

Synonyms

musket

vsculverin

Archaic

38 9.5

A shoulder gun with a long barrel used by soldiers from the 1500s to the 1800s

is a heavier long-barrelled artillery piece used in 16th and 17th century warfare

saker

vsculverin

Archaic

9.9

A medium-sized cannon used from the 1500s to the 1700s to fire round iron balls

is a longer-barrelled artillery piece used for longer-range fire in 16th and 17th centuries

long tom

vsculverin

Archaic

9.9

A large gun on a ship with a long barrel used in sea battles

is long-barrelled artillery used on land and sea in 16th and 17th centuries

harquebus

vsculverin

Archaic

9.9

A long gun soldiers used in the 1500s and 1600s

is a larger artillery or infantry firearm used in 16th and 17th centuries

hackbut

vsculverin

Archaic

9.9

A long-barrel gun used in war from the 1400s to the 1600s

is the later, heavier long-barrelled artillery or firearm used mainly in 16th and 17th centuries

hagbut

vsculverin

Archaic

9.9

An old gun with a long barrel used by soldiers to shoot from a distance

is more common in 16th and 17th centuries and denotes larger artillery or shoulder firearms

Surface Forms

culverin singular

culverins plural

Etymology

Culverin comes from the Latin word colubra meaning 'snake'. The long, thin barrel of the gun looked like a snake and could hit targets far away, so the name explains why a culverin was a long-range cannon.