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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Carbine \Car"bine\, noun [F. carbine, OF. calabrin carabineer (cf. Ot. calabrina a policeman), fr. OF & Pr. calabre, OF. cable, chable, an engine of war used in besieging, fr. LL. chadabula, cabulus, a kind of projectile machine, fr. Gr. ? a throwing down, fr. ? to throw; ? down + ? to throw. Cf. {Parable}.] (Mil.) A short, light musket or rifle, esp. one used by mounted soldiers or cavalry.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
carbine
noun: light automatic rifle
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |