Mŭs'ket, n.
n. [Fr. mousquet, Sp. mosquete, It. moschetto, O. Fr. mouskete, mouschete, moschete, L. Lat. muscheta, muschetta, a missile discharged from a ballista, from Fr. mouchet, émouchet, O. Fr. mousket, moschet, Pr. mosquet, mosquete, L. Lat. muschetus, muscetus, a kind of hawk or falcon, from Lat. musca, a fly, because its breast is spotted or speckled, or, as it were, marked with spots looking like flies.] [Sometimes written also musquet]
Sense 1. The male young of the sparrow-hawk. [Obs.]
Sense 2. A species of fire-arm carried by the infantry, or main body of an army, and originally fired by means of a match, for which a flint-lock was substituted. The name is now chiefly applied to a fire-arm discharged by a percussion-lock, having less range and accuracy than the rifle, but characterized by greater lightness, the capacity of being more quickly loaded, with greater ease of handling, and having a bayonet capable of being used as a pike.