crossbow

crossbow — noun

1. a weapon from earlier times, made with a short bow fixed across a piece of wood,

1.nounB2
Definition

a weapon from earlier times, made with a short bow fixed across a piece of wood, that fires short, heavy arrows

Example

Rashida aimed her crossbow at the target and released the bolt.

collocation: aim a crossbow / release a bolt

In medieval times, hunters used a crossbow to hunt deer from a distance.

Common collocations
  • load a crossbow
  • fire a crossbow
  • aim a crossbow
  • crossbow bolt
  • crossbow hunter
Synonyms
  • arbalest

    a heavier medieval crossbow used to shoot through armour; more specific and less common

  • repeating crossbow

    a type that can fire several bolts in quick succession; a distinct design

Usage Note

The arrows shot by a crossbow are often called bolts or quarrels, though many speakers simply say arrows. The word is countable: one crossbow / two crossbows.

Common Mistakes

She held the crossbow upright like a regular bow.
She held the crossbow horizontally across her body.
A crossbow fires from a sideways-mounted bow, so it is aimed horizontally, not held upright.

Word family

  • crossbowman
    nounC1
  • crossbow bolt
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A bow is the general term for any weapon that uses a bent piece of wood or fibre to shoot arrows. A longbow is a tall, hand-drawn bow held vertically, requiring considerable arm strength. A crossbow differs by having the short bow mounted horizontally on a wooden stock, so the user can hold it ready without muscular effort. An arbalest is a specific type of heavy crossbow used in medieval warfare, designed to penetrate armour. For everyday historical descriptions, crossbow is the most natural word; arbalest appears mainly in specialist writing.

crossbow ↗longbowbow ↗arbalest

Common collocations

Nouns

  • crossbow bolt
  • crossbow hunter
  • crossbow target
  • crossbow shooting

Phrases

  • hunt with a crossbow
  • fire a crossbow at something

Prepositions

  • with a crossbow
  • by crossbow

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'crossbow' comes from the English words 'cross' and 'bow', describing how the short bow is mounted crosswise (sideways) on the wooden stock, unlike a traditional bow that is held upright. The term appeared in English around the 1300s–1400s as 'crossebowe'.