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carbine definition

car·bine (kärbīn′, -bēn′)

noun

  1. a rifle with a short barrel, orig. for use by cavalry
  2. ☆ a light, semiautomatic or automatic rifle of relatively limited range

Etymology: Fr carabine < carabin, mounted rifleman < OFr escarrabin, corpse bearer during the plague (lit., prob. “carrion beetle,” used as epithet for archers from Flanders) < scarabée: see scarab

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