A small piece of flint (a hard rock) used to strike a spark in the firing mechanism of old firearms to ignite the gunpowder and fire the gun.
From 'gun' + 'flint' (the stone). Gunflints were essential technology for flintlock firearms from the 17th-19th centuries. The word is straightforward English, describing the essential component that made such guns function.
Gunflints were manufactured in such enormous quantities—some estimates suggest billions were produced—that historians can track trade routes and military movements by finding caches of gunflints in archaeological digs.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.