MUSKETS
Noun
muskets
plural of musket
Source: Wiktionary
MUSKET
Mus"ket, n. Etym: [F. mousquet, It. moschetto, formerly, a kind of
hawk; cf. OF. mousket, moschet, a kind of hawk falcon, F. mouchet,
prop., a little fly (the hawk prob. being named from its size), fr.
L. musca a fly. Cf. Mosquito.] [Sometimes written also musquet.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The male of the sparrow hawk.
2. A species of firearm formerly carried by the infantry of an army.
It was originally fired by means of a match, or matchlock, for which
several mechanical appliances (including the flintlock, and finally
the percussion lock) were successively substituted. This arm has been
generally superseded by the rifle.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition