English
gunstone
Gunstone comes from Middle English gunneston ‘a cannonball’.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gunneston‘a cannonball’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599gunstone
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gunneston‘a cannonball’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599gunstone
Earliest quotation: c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V: “And tell the pleasant prince this mock of his…”
The story
From Middle English gunneston; equivalent to gun + stone: they were originally made from stone.
Every English word from Middle English gunneston
Today it means
noun A cannonball.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English gunneston / gunstone