blunderbuss

== English == === Etymology === From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈblʌn.dəˌbʌs/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈblʌn.dɚˌbʌs/ Hyphenation: blun‧der‧buss === Noun === blunderbuss (plural blunderbusses) 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. ==== Translations ==== === Verb === blunderbuss (third-person singular simple present blunderbusses, present participle blunderbussing, simple past and past participle blunderbussed) (transitive) To shoot with a blunderbuss. === References === Michael Quinion (2004), “Blunderbuss”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN. === Further reading === blunderbuss on Wikipedia.Wikipedia