Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In the sixteenth century, a hand-firearm lighter than the musket and fired without a rest; especially, such a gun when of fixed diameter or caliber for a whole company of soldiers using the same ammunition. Also spelled
calliver .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete An early form of hand gun, a variety of the arquebus; originally a gun having a regular size of bore.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun historical A type of light
musket .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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No. Over his head the caliver-balls went screeching.
Westward Ho! 2007
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Which most discourteous act seemed at first likely to be somewhat heavily avenged on Amyas; for as he spoke, a couple of caliver-shots, fired from under the poop, passed “ping” “ping” by his ears, and Cary clapped his hand to his side.
Westward Ho! 2007
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Both parties obeyed the order; Amyas dropped down behind the stockade in time to let a caliver bullet whistle over his head; and the Spaniards recoiled as the narrow face of the stockade burst into one blaze of musketry and swivels, raking their long array from front to rear.
Westward Ho! 2007
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Presently a wreath of white smoke curled up from the swamp, and then the report of a caliver.
Westward Ho! 2007
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Right as I'm working out stock measurements, the door bell rings and the caliver barrel arrives.
roland Diary Entry roland 2005
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The devil take the caliver that fired the ball, for a blither lad never filled a cup at midnight!
Kenilworth 2004
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There was the shaggy creature, which might have been fallow under Urth's sun, streaked with black yet still skipping with frantic energy; even as I saw him, Sidero's caliver blotched him more.
The Urth of the New Sun Wolfe, Gene 1987
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Purn appeared and fired his caliver, swinging it like a fowling piece.
The Urth of the New Sun Wolfe, Gene 1987
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Other muskets, like the caliver, were light, and could be fired without the use of a support.
New Discoveries at Jamestown Site of the First Successful English Settlement in America J. Paul Hudson
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They kept themselves upon their oars at caliver-shot distance, spending powder apace; as we did some two or three hours.
Sir Francis Drake Revived Philip [Editor] Nichols
hernesheir commented on the word caliver
One for the weapons listers.
January 30, 2013