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arbalest

 [ahr-buh-list]   Origin

ar·ba·lest

   [ahr-buh-list]
noun
a powerful medieval crossbow with a steel bow, used to shoot stones, metal balls, arrows, etc.
Also, ar·ba·list.

Origin:
before 1100; < Old French arbaleste < Old Provençal < Late Latin arcuballista (see arc, ballista); replacing Middle English, late Old English arblast < Old French

Related forms
ar·ba·lest·er, ar·ba·list·er  [ahr-buh-lis-ter] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Arbalest is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
arbalest or arbalist (ˈɑːbəlɪst)
 
—n
a large medieval crossbow, usually cocked by mechanical means
 
[C11: from Old French arbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista, from Latin arcus bow + ballista]
 
arbalist or arbalist
 
—n
 
[C11: from Old French arbaleste, from Late Latin arcuballista, from Latin arcus bow + ballista]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

arbalest
"crossbow," c.1100, from O.Fr. arbaleste (Mod.Fr. arbalète-), from V.L. arbalista, from L.L. arcuballista "catapult," from L. arcus "bow" (see arc) + ballista "machine for throwing projectiles" (see ballistic). Ger. armbrust is from the same Fr. word but mangled by folk etymology.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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