A short, wide-mouthed firearm used in the 17th and 18th centuries that fired multiple projectiles at once, often used on ships and in close combat.
From Dutch 'donderbus,' combining 'donder' (thunder) and 'bus' (barrel or gun). The word entered English in the 1600s, and its spelling was influenced by English 'blunder,' creating a folk etymology that stuck even though it has nothing to do with blundering.
The name 'blunderbuss' is actually a lucky accident—Dutch speakers called it 'thunder-barrel,' but English speakers mistakenly blended it with the word 'blunder,' and the name became so popular that everyone forgot the real origin!
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