词汇 | carbine |
词源 | carbine. The carbine, a short, light rifle, probably takes its name from the Medieval Latin Calabrinus, meaning “a Cal- abrian.” Calabria in southern Italy was noted for its light horsemen or skirmishers, and the first such weapons were ei- ther used or manufactured there. “Carabins,” as the weapons were called in 16th-century England, were originally “large pistols . . . having barrels 3 ft. long.” They were much shorter and less cumbersome than muskets, however, and were em- ployed by light cavalry troops. By the early 17th century car bine was being spelled in its present form, although it took many years for the weapon to develop into the short, light rifle that we know today. |
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