[CROSS- 3 b.]
1. A missive weapon consisting of a bow fixed across a wooden stock, having a groove or barrel for the missile and a mechanism for holding and releasing the string, used for shooting bolts, stones, arrows, etc.; an ARBALEST.
1432–50. trans. Higden, I. 297. Crosse bawes or staffe slynges.
1548. Hall, Chron., 90. Then the arrowes flewe out of the long bowes … the quarrelles out of the crosse bowes.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 147. Stones … violently whirled out of a Crossebow.
1678. trans. Gaya’s Arms War, 40. The Ancients had two kinds of Cross-bows, the one which shot Darts or Quarrels, and the other which threw Stones: These were called Balistæ, and the other Catapultæ.
1798. Coleridge, Anc. Mar., I. xx. With my cross-bow I shot the Albatross.
a. 1862. Buckle, Misc. Wks. (1872), I. 343. The cross bow is said to have been used in the battle of Hastings.
2. transf. (pl.) Men armed with cross-bows; crossbowmen, as a force.
c. 1511. 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.), Introd. 34/2. .x. M. knyghtes on horsbacke .vi. M. Crosse bowes.
a. 1533. Ld. Berners, Huon, cxxix. 473. Theyr botys well garnysshyd with men, archars and crosbowes.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 20. 50 men of warre … together with 20 crosbowes.
3. attrib. and Comb., as cross-bow case, -maker, match, rack, shot.
1530. Palsgr., 211/1. Crosbowe case, carquas. Crosbowe maker, arcbalestrier.
1570. Dee, Math. Pref., 35. The force of the Crossebow Racke is … here, demonstrated.
1632. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Eromena, 150. Having one arme little better than lost by a Crosbow-shot.
1676. Lond. Gaz., No. 1121/6. Samuel Smith Crosbow-Maker near Temple bar, London.
1845. Sarah Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., II. 189. A great cross-bow match at Heidelberg.
