[ noun ] a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel; formerly used by infantrymen <noun.artifact>
Musket \Mus"ket\, n. [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. (Zo["o]l.) 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 This arm has been completely superseded by the rifle, and is now only of historical interest. [1913 Webster +PJC]
There are soldiers buried here who were killed by arrows, musket balls, Viet Cong ambush and space capsule fires.
Sagwitch's 12-year-old grandson, Yeager Timbimboo, played dead. A soldier who discovered him alive raised his musket to the boy's head three times but couldn't fire.
At least 12 of the skeletons showed evidence of tremendous wounds, presumably from musket or cannon fire, he said.
But apparently, the people would rather have the cash than an old, odd-looking musket that shoots lead balls, which in any case may just have been acquired in the looting that destroyed the city's main shopping avenue.