A large portable gun or cannon used in Asia, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries, often mounted on a swivel.
From Malay 'jingal' or Hindi 'jingal,' referring to a type of musket or light cannon. The term entered European languages through colonial contact with Asian maritime powers.
European traders encountering these Asian firearms were so impressed that they borrowed the word itself—'gingal' appears in records of colonial conflicts because it was the weapon that often faced European gunners, and European soldiers had healthy respect for them.
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