musketeer
|mus-ke-teer|
🇺🇸
/ˌmʌskəˈtɪr/
🇬🇧
/ˌmʌskəˈtɪə/
soldier armed with a musket
Etymology
'musketeer' originates from French, specifically the word 'mousquetaire', where 'mousquet' meant 'musket'.
'musketeer' changed from French 'mousquetaire' and entered English in the 17th century as 'musketeer', adapted from earlier forms like Middle French 'mousquetier'.
Initially, it meant 'a bearer or user of a musket' (a rank or type of soldier); over time it also acquired literary and figurative senses (a chivalrous or loyal companion).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a soldier armed with a musket, especially one serving in early modern European armies (16th–18th centuries).
The musketeer advanced with his musket shouldered, ready to fire at the approaching enemy.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a member of a famous group of adventurous sword-wielding characters in Alexandre Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers; more generally, a swashbuckling or chivalrous fighter.
He fancied himself a musketeer, quick with a sword and loyal to his friends.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/02 10:50