• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “Blunderbuss” come from and What does Blunderbuss mean?

Where does the word “Blunderbuss” come from and What does Blunderbuss mean?

March 29, 2020 by Karen Hill

Though it’s a loud blusterer to whom we give the name now, Blunderbuss was formerly, from the mid-seventeenth century, a short gun of large bore and short range which scattered many slugs or balls.

The Dutch, who invented it, called it, accurately enough, dunderbus, “thunder tube,” because of its noisy firing.

The English in adopting it, quick to see how blindly the shots were carried, just substituted blunder for dun-der.

Related Facts

  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • The Best 20 Inventions Ever Invented
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • 15 Inventions You Wish You Invented
  • Why Does Thunder Sound Like a Sharp Crack, and Sometimes Like a Low Rumble?
  • How Do Fluorescent Bulbs Produce Light and How Many Different Types Are There?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “Stygian” originate and What does Stygian mean in Greek?
Next Post: How did the Pinafore get its name and Where does the word Pinafore come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy