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Glite Dictionary
linstock

linstock

1 9.9
A long wooden stick with a forked end that holds a lit match to fire a cannon
  • noun
  • Archaic
: linstock
  • Using a linstock, the crew was able to fire the cannon from a safe distance.

Examples

  • The soldier carefully positioned the linstock to ignite the cannon before the battle began.

  • And the nimble gunner with linstock now the devilish cannon touches, and down goes all before them!

    Henry V (1989)

  • After ensuring the fuse was secure, he lit the linstock to fire the large cannon.

Surface Forms

linstock singular
linstocks plural

Morphology

linstock = linen + stock (opaque) = lin + stock

The first element 'lin' is an obsolete/combining form meaning 'flax/linen' and is not recognized by average learners, so the compound's meaning is not derivable from its parts.

Etymology

Linstock comes from old words lint meaning 'flax' or loose fiber used as a match and stock meaning 'stick', so it was literally a 'flax stick' that held a burning match to fire a cannon.