A soldier armed with a fusil (a light musket), or historically, a member of a fusilier regiment.
From French fusilier, derived from fusil (musket). The term originated in 17th-century military terminology when fusils became standard infantry weapons.
Fusiliers were actually the military's 'special forces' of their day—they were faster, more mobile soldiers who could fire their lighter muskets quicker than traditional musketeers with their heavy weapons.
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