Caliver
/ˈkælɪvər/noun
A sixteenth- and seventeenth-century firearm resembling a light musket, especially one with a standardized bore.
Did you know?The caliver was valued partly because its standardized bore allowed soldiers to use prepared ammunition more reliably than with many earlier firearms.
Etymological Timeline
Late 16th Century
English
caliver
“A firearm resembling a light musket, recorded in English during the age of matchlock weapons.”
16th Century
French
calibre
“The bore or internal diameter of a gun barrel; also a measure of quality or capacity.”
16th Century
Italian
calibro
“The diameter of a firearm’s bore, probably entering European artillery vocabulary through technical usage.”
Medieval Period
Arabic
qālib
“A mold, form, or model; this term is widely regarded as part of the deeper history of European calibre, though the transmission is debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kalapous
“A shoemaker’s last or shaping form, sometimes proposed as an older source related to Arabic qālib and ultimately to calibre.”
Modern English
English
caliver
“A historical term for a standardized-bore military firearm, now chiefly encountered in discussions of early modern warfare.”