different between muzzle vs blunderbuss

English

Etymology

From earlier muzle, musle, mousle, mussel, mozell, from Middle English mosel, from Old French musel, museau, muzeau (modern French museau), from Late Latin m?sus (“snout”), probably expressive of the shape of protruded lips and/or influenced by Latin m?g?re (“to moo, bellow”). Doublet of museau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?z?l/
• Rhymes: -?z?l

Noun

muzzle (plural muzzles)

1. The protruding part of an animal's head which includes the nose, mouth and jaws.

   Synonym: snout
2. (slang, derogatory, by extension) A person's mouth.
4. A device used to prevent animal from biting or eating, which is worn on its snout.
6. (firearms) The mouth or the end for entrance or discharge of a gun, pistol etc., that the bullet emerges from.

   Coordinate term: breech

7. (chiefly Scotland) A piece of the forward end of the plow-beam by which the traces are attached.

   Synonym: bridle

8. (obsolete, historical) An openwork covering for the nose, used for the defense of the horse, and forming part of the bards in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

muzzle (third-person singular simple present muzzles, present participle muzzling, simple past and past participle muzzled)

1. (transitive) To bind or confine an animal's mouth by putting a muzzle, as to prevent it from eating or biting.

   • Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.

2. (transitive, figuratively) To restrain (from speaking, expressing opinion or acting); gag, silence, censor.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To veil, mask, muffle.
4. (transitive, obsolete) To fondle with the closed mouth; to nuzzle.

   • Venus her self would sit Muzzling and Gazing them in the Eyes

5. (intransitive) To bring the muzzle or mouth near.

Derived terms

• muzzler

Translations

References

• muzzle in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “muzzle”, in OED Online ?, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000

English

Etymology

From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?bl?nd?b?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?bl?nd??b?s/
• Hyphenation: blun?der?buss

Noun

blunderbuss (plural blunderbusses)

1. 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.
   • 1817, Merriweather Lewis & William Clark, Travels to the Source of the Missouri River, and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown (1817), page 354:

     We fired the blunderbuss several times by way of salute, and soon after landed at the bank near the village of the Mahahas, or Shoe Indians, and were received by a crowd of people, who came to welcome our return.

   • 1942, Carl G. Erich, "Flintlock Blunderbuss", Popular Science, June 1942:

     One of the most picturesque of the old flintlock guns is the blunderbuss, which was often carried by coach guards for protection against highwaymen.

   • 2007, Norm Flayderman, Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms, Gun Digest Books (2007), ?ISBN, page 764:

     The blunderbuss never gained great favor in the American colonies or early United States.

Translations

Verb

blunderbuss (third-person singular simple present blunderbusses, present participle blunderbussing, simple past and past participle blunderbussed)

1. (transitive) To shoot with a blunderbuss.

References

• Michael Quinion (2004) , “Blunderbuss”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, ?ISBN

Further reading

• blunderbuss on Wikipedia.Wikipedia