blunderbuss

Meanings

Noun

• 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.

Verb

• To shoot with a blunderbuss.

Origin

• From Dutch donderbus ("blunderbuss"), which was altered under the influence of blunder.