fusil

¹

[ fyoo-zuhl, -sil ]

noun

1. a light flintlock musket.

fusil

²

[ fyoo-zuhl, -sil ]

adjective

1. formed by melting or casting; fused; founded.
2. Archaic. capable of being melted; fusible.
3. Archaic. melted; molten.

fusil

¹

/ ˈfjuːzɪl /

noun

1. a light flintlock musket

fusil

²

/ ˈfjuːzɪl /

noun

1. heraldry a charge shaped like a lengthened lozenge

Word History and Origins

Origin of fusil¹

1670–80; < French: musket, Old French fuisil, foisil steel for striking fire < Vulgar Latin *focīlis, derivative of Latin focus fire. See focus

Origin of fusil²

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin fūsilis molten, fluid. See fuse ², -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of fusil¹

C16 (in the sense: steel for a tinderbox): from Old French fuisil , from Vulgar Latin focīlis (unattested), from Latin focus fire

Origin of fusil²

C15: from Old French fusel , ultimately from Latin fūsus spindle, fuse ¹(the heraldic lozenge originally represented a spindle covered with tow for spinning)

Example Sentences

But no Proto-Indo-European word can be reconstructed for “gun,” which uses different roots in different modern Indo-European languages: “gun” in English, “fusil” in French, “ruzhyo” in Russian, and so on.

From Literature

But although early rolls of arms sometimes neglect this detail in their blazon, the fusils making a fesse must always be of an ascertained number.

From Project Gutenberg

The fusil is like the lozenge, but narrower.

From Project Gutenberg

They fought from early morning till four in the afternoon, without Montauban being able to get the weather-gauge, or approach near enough to use his chief arms—his fusils.

From Project Gutenberg

If thou wert with me at Paris, I could show thee a fusil of two barrels, which is precious beyond any other relic, merely because it enabled me to kill thirteen officers at Jemappe.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• carbine
• rifle