linstock

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a stick about a meter long with a point on one end (to stick in the ground) and a forked head on the other end (to hold a lighted match); formerly used to fire cannons

Corrupted from luntstock, Dutch lontstok, from lont (“lunt”) + stok (“stock, stick”). See link (“a torch”), lunt, and stock.

_Oh! to see the linstock lighting, Téméraire! — The Ontario Readers: Third Book, Ontario. Department of Education
"This time, Sergeant, the fellow with the linstock." — The Rifle Rangers, Mayne Reid
Give it me!” He had still the linstock of his gun in his own hand. — A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning