A lightweight, flintlock musket or firearm used in the 17th and 18th centuries, often carried by soldiers.
From French fusil, derived from Latin focus (fire, hearth). Originally meaning a fire-striker or 'fire-steel,' it evolved to mean a firearm that used the spark-striking principle.
The fusil was a military breakthrough because it was lighter and faster to reload than earlier muskets—a single innovation that changed battle tactics across Europe.
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