Freq #75985
Meanings
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1
noun
An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range.
We fired the blunderbuss several times by way of salute, and soon after landed at the bank near the village of the Mahahas, or Shoe Indians, and were received by a crowd of people, who came to welcome our return.
Thesaurus
Word family
Forms
blunderbusses
Etymology
From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder.