English

matchlock

From match + lock.

A compound of match + lock

Proto-Germanic *makô ‘an equal’

Proto-West Germanic *makkjō

Old English mæċċa ‘companion’

Middle English macche ‘a bride or mate’

English match

Proto-Indo-European *lewg- ‘to bend’

Proto-Germanic *luką

Proto-West Germanic *lok ‘shutter’

Old English loc

Middle English lok

English lock

Today it means

noun Early type of firearm, using a smoldering piece of cord to fire the powder in the firing pan.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / matchlock