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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

carbine Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • carry: He remarked that every horseman carried a carbine slung across his shoulders and pistols in his holsters.
  • have: Sixth, the board is not decided in the opinion whether it would be best to have only magazine carbines in the cavalry service.
  • sling: He remarked that every horseman carried a carbine slung across his shoulders and pistols in his holsters.
  • load: There were in addition twelve muzzle loading carbines per troop.

Adjective modifier

  • short: It is the first British short assault carbine into service, it will not be the last.

Modifies a noun

  • version: The carbine version of the 10.4 mm Vetterli Rifle, designed by the Swiss Engineer F Vetterli.
  • rifle: The Cuban government at one time distributed leaflets of Jesus with a carbine rifle slung over his shoulder.

Noun used with modifier

  • lever-action: This growing interest in 45 caliber lever-action carbines is very attractive, at least to me.

Browse dictionary entries near carbine

  1. carbide
  2. carbazole
  3. carbanion
  4. carbamic acid
  5. carbamate
  6. carb-
  7. carb
  8. caraway
  9. caravel
  10. caravansary
  1. carbineer
  2. carbinol
  3. carbo
  4. carbo-
  5. carbocyclic
  6. carbohydrate
  7. carbolated
  8. carbolic acid
  9. carbolize
  10. carbon