Snaphance
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A spring lock for discharging a firearm.
- 2 The firearm to which it is attached.
- 3 A trifling or second-rate thing or person. obsolete
"[T]o make this realme a praye to al venturers, al ſpoylers, all ſnaphanſes, all forlornehopes, all cormerauntes, all reuenours of the worlde, that wyll inuade this realme, is to ſaye, thou poſſeſſyoner of any landes of this realme, of what degree ſo euer thou be, fro the higheſt to the loweſt, ſhalte be ſlayne and deſtroyed, and thy landes taken frome the by thoſe that wyl haue al for them ſelfes."
- 4 A snappish retort. obsolete
Example
More examples"[T]o make this realme a praye to al venturers, al ſpoylers, all ſnaphanſes, all forlornehopes, all cormerauntes, all reuenours of the worlde, that wyll inuade this realme, is to ſaye, thou poſſeſſyoner of any landes of this realme, of what degree ſo euer thou be, fro the higheſt to the loweſt, ſhalte be ſlayne and deſtroyed, and thy landes taken frome the by thoſe that wyl haue al for them ſelfes."
Etymology
Dutch snaphaan (“a gun”), originally, the snapping cock of a gun. See snap and hen.
Related phrases
More for "snaphance"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.