arcuballista

Latin

Alternative forms

• arcoballista

Etymology

From arcus +‎ ballista. Attested in Vegetius. Some scholars believe that arcuballistae were distinguished from manuballistae, with the latter being torsion-powered and arcuballistae being crossbows. In modern Spanish and Italian a crossbow is called ballesta and balestra respectively, while French and German have arbalète and Armbrust.

Noun

arcuballista f (genitive arcuballistae); first declension (Late Latin)

1. crossbow or possibly some torsion-powered hand weapon
   • c. 360 CE – 400 CE, Vegetius, De re militari :

     Erant tragularii, qui ad manuballistas vel arcuballistas dirigebant sagittas.

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	arcuballista	arcuballistae
Genitive	arcuballistae	arcuballistārum
Dative	arcuballistae	arcuballistīs
Accusative	arcuballistam	arcuballistās
Ablative	arcuballistā	arcuballistīs
Vocative	arcuballista	arcuballistae

Derived terms

• arcuballistārius

Descendants

• Franco-Provençal: arbouéto, arbaléta, arbareita
• Occitan: arcbalèsta, arcabalèsta, aubalèsta, aubalestra, aubarèsta, arbarèsta, arbalèsta, arbaleste
• Old French: arbaleste, arbaste, arbastre, areblaste, arblaste, arbelaste, arbalestre, arbeleste, arbalete, arcbalste, abaleste, abolaistre, abolastre, aubaleste, aubeleste, aubalestre, aubelestre (see there for further descendants)

References

• Souter, Alexander (1949) “arcoballista”, in A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 A.D.‎^[1], 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, published 1957, page 22
• armborst in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• armborst in Nationalencyklopedin (needs an authorization fee).
• “armbrøst” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• armbrøst in Ordbog over det danske Sprog
• “arcuballista” in Duden online
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “arcuballĭsta”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volumes 25: Refonte Apaideutos–Azymus, page 109