"simultaneous discharge of firearms," 1801, from French fusillade, from fusiller "to shoot" (18c.), from fusil "musket" (see fusilier). As a verb from 1816.
Entries linking to fusillade
fusilier n.
also fusileer, 1670s, "soldier armed with a musket," from French fusilier "musket" (17c.), literally "piece of steel against which a flint strikes flame," from Old French fuisil, foisil "steel for striking fire; flint; whetstone; grindstone" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *focilis (petra) "(stone) producing fire," from Latin focus "hearth," in Vulgar Latin "fire" (see focus (n.)). Retained by certain regiments of the British army that were formerly armed with fusils.