ARBALET

ARBALET, or Balista, a kind of weapon, vulgarly called a crossbow. See HARQUEBUS. It consists of a steel bow, set in a shaft of wood, furnished with a string and a trigger; and is bent with a piece of iron fitted for that purpose. It serves to throw bullets, large arrows, darts, etc. The ancients had large machines to throw arrows withal, called arbalests or ballistae. See BALLISTA. The word is derived from Arbalista, i.e., Arcuballista, a bow with a sling.

ARBALET