cross-bow
(ˈkrɒsbəʊ, ˈkrɔːs-)
[cross- 3 b.]
1. A mediæval weapon consisting of a bow fixed across a wooden stock, having a groove or barrel for the missile and a mechanism for holding and releasing the string, used for shooting bolts, stones, arrows, etc.; an arbalest.
| 1432–50 tr. Higden I. 297 Crosse bawes or staffe slynges. 1548 Hall Chron. 90 Then the arrowes flewe out of the long bowes..the quarrelles out of the crosse bowes. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 147 Stones..violently whirled out of a Crossebow. 1678 tr. Gaya's Arms War 40 The Ancients had two kinds of Cross-bows, the one which shoot Darts or Quarrels, and the other which threw Stones: these were called Balistae, and the other Catapultae. 1798 Coleridge Anc. Mar. i. xx, With my cross-bow I shot the Albatross. a 1862 Buckle Misc. Wks. (1872) I. 343 The cross bow is said to have been used in the battle of Hastings. |
2. transf. (pl.) Men armed with cross-bows; crossbowmen, as a force.
| c 1511 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.) Introd. 34/2, .x. M. knyghtes on horsbacke .vi. M. Crosse bowes. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon cxxix. 473 Theyr botys well garnysshyd with men, archars and crosbowes. 1599 Hakluyt Voy. I. 20, 50 men of warre..together with 20 crosbowes. |
3. attrib. and Comb., as cross-bow case, cross-bow-maker, cross-bow match, cross-bow rack, cross-bow shot.
| 1530 Palsgr. 211/1 Crosbowe case, carquas. Crosbowe maker, arcbalestrier. 1570 Dee Math. Pref. 35 The force of the Crossebow Racke is..here, demonstrated. 1632 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 150 Having one arme little better than lost by a Crosbow-shot. 1676 Lond. Gaz. No. 1121/6 Samuel Smith Crosbow-Maker near Temple-bar, London. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. II. 189 A great cross-bow match at Heidelberg. |