arbalest – מילון אנגלי-אנגלי
arbalest
n.
medieval crossbow which shot arrows or stones
Arbalest
The
arbalest (also
arblast) was a late variation of the
crossbow coming into use in
Europe during the 12th century. A large
weapon, the arbalest had a
steel prod ("bow"). Since an arbalest was much larger than earlier crossbows, and because of the greater
tensile strength of steel, it had a greater force. The strongest
windlass-pulled arbalests could have up to 22
kN (5000
lbf) of force and be accurate up to 100 m. A skilled arbalestier (arbalester) could loose two
bolts per minute.
arbalest
Noun
1. medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles
(synonym) catapult, arbalist, ballista, bricole, mangonel, onager, trebuchet, trebucket
(hypernym) artillery, heavy weapon, gun, ordnance
Arbalest
(n.)
Alt. of Arbalist
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter.
About
Arbalest
(Fr: arbalète, Ger. Armbrust, Crossbow) The correct term for a crossbow, introduced early in the 14th century. The crossbow consisted of a bow mounted on a stock that could be cranked or pulled into place using more leverage than could be used on a conventional longbow. The result was a very high-powered, lower trajectoried weapon of great destructive potential. It fired a
bolt , a shorter version of an arrow. However, the firing time on a crossbow was slow compared to the longbow, and for that reason and owing to the vastly higher expense during the period, the longbow remained the favored missile weapon of the 14th and 15th century in England and in France. From time to time the crossbow was banned by various laws, but it remained a weapon of great popularity during the late 14th century in the low countries, the Swiss states, in Germany and in Italy.
