Culverin
/ˈkʌl.vər.ɪn/noun
A long, relatively light cannon used especially from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Did you know?The culverin’s serpent association was reinforced by the related French word couleuvrine, derived from Latin colubra, “female snake.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kolu̯r̥
“A reconstructed term associated with a snake or serpent; the precise reconstruction is debated.”
Classical Latin
Latin
colubra
“Female snake; also a serpent or snake.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
colubrina
“Serpentine; snake-like, and later a name applied to a type of cannon.”
13th–14th Century
Old French
couleuvrine
“A long, slender cannon, named from couleuvre, “snake,” with a diminutive form suggesting a little serpent.”
15th Century
English
culverin
“A long cannon or hand-held firearm adopted from French military terminology.”
Modern English
English
culverin
“A historical long-barreled cannon, especially one used before the widespread standardization of field artillery.”