arcuballista

Latin

Alternative forms

  • arcoballista

Etymology

From arcus + ballista. Some scholars believe that arcuballistae were distinguished from manuballistae, with the latter being torsion-powered and arcuballistae being crossbows. In modern Spanish and Italian a crossbow is called ballesta and balestra respectively, while French and German have arbalète and Armbrust.

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ar.ku.balˈlis.ta/, [ärkʊbälˈlʲɪs̠t̪ä]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ar.ku.balˈlis.ta/, [ärkubälˈlist̪ä]

Noun

arcuballista f (genitive arcuballistae); first declension

  1. (Late Latin) crossbow or possibly some torsion-powered hand weapon
    • c. 360 CE – 400 CE, Vegetius, De re militari :
      Erant tragularii, qui ad manuballistas vel arcuballistas dirigebant sagittas.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative arcuballista arcuballistae
Genitive arcuballistae arcuballistārum
Dative arcuballistae arcuballistīs
Accusative arcuballistam arcuballistās
Ablative arcuballistā arcuballistīs
Vocative arcuballista arcuballistae

Derived terms

  • arcuballistārius

Descendants

  • Franco-Provençal: arbouéto, arbaléta, arbareita
  • Occitan: arcbalèsta, arcabalèsta, aubalèsta, aubalestra, aubarèsta, arbarèsta, arbalèsta, arbaleste
  • Old French: arbaleste, arbaste, arbastre, areblaste, arblaste, arbelaste, arbalestre, arbeleste, arbalete, arcbalste, abaleste, abolaistre, abolastre, aubaleste, aubeleste, aubalestre, aubelestre (see there for further descendants)

References

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