blun·der·buss
–noun
1. | a short musket of wide bore with expanded muzzle to scatter shot, bullets, or slugs at close range. |
2. | an insensitive, blundering person. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
blun·der·buss n.
[Alteration of Dutch donderbus : donder, thunder (from Middle Dutch doner; see (s)tenə- in Indo-European roots) + bus, gun (from Middle Dutch busse, tube, from Latin buxis, box; see box1).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
blunderbuss
1654, from Du. donderbus, from donder "thunder" + bus "gun" (originally "box, tube"), altered by resemblance to blunder.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
blunderbuss | |
noun | |
a short musket of wide bore with a flared muzzle |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |