trebuchet
noun
- type of siege engine which uses a swinging arm to throw a missile at the enemy
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/ / /ˈtɹɛb.jə.ʃeɪ/ / /ˈtɹɛb.ju.ʃeɪ/
noun
Etymology: From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier (“to overthrow, topple”), from tres- + *buchier, from Old French buc (“trunk of the body”), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, abdomen, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōw- (“to blow, swell”). Cognate with Old High German būh (“belly”), Old English būc (“belly, trunk”). More at bouk.
- A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end.
“Medieval trebuchets are said to have been capable of launching 90-kg projectiles over distances of more than 300 meters.”
“With counterweight trebuchets at its disposal, a besieging force at last had the advantage in sieges, and it was probably the appearance of the trebuchet which prompted the changes in castle design from the mid-twelfth century onwards which were described in the previous chapter: the move from rectangular to round or multiform towers […]”
- A torture device for dunking suspected witches by means of a chair attached to the end of a long pole.
verb
Etymology: From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier (“to overthrow, topple”), from tres- + *buchier, from Old French buc (“trunk of the body”), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, abdomen, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰōw- (“to blow, swell”). Cognate with Old High German būh (“belly”), Old English būc (“belly, trunk”). More at bouk.
- To shoot with a trebuchet.