fusil fuzee defanition ?

[Congress Own Regiment]

I have been on a quest to find info on guns of my ancestors. And it has been a frustrating one.
In trying to cross reference info. One stumbling block I run into is. Is there, or should I say was there back in the 1750's to 1770's a difference between names used to describe one weapon form the other. if it was made in one place or the other would it use a different name that today we lump in one category. for example one would fry in a pan and stew in a pot but we use the words interchangeably as layman and not as cooks.

The words fuzee and fusil appear in some of the text i read if they are to name the same weapon why would they use two different words.
could it be that they are closely used for the same type of weapon or back then did it have a more individual meaning? It would be very appreciated if any one with a opinion and or fact to help would please pass it on.

 

[George]

The words fuzee and fusil appear in some of the text i read if they are to name the same weapon why would they use two different words.

As I understand it, the original word was French, fusil. Trouble was, they talk funny, and they pronounce it fusee. English speakers picked up the sound but not the spelling and made a new word, fuzee. Same gun, same word, different spelling and pronunciation.

Spence

 

[JV Puleo]

Spence is correct... it is a French word spelled "fusil" but pronounced "fuzee" in English in the 18th century. Since regularized spelling is largely a product of the late 19th and early 20th century, "fuzee" was often spelled phonetically in the 18th century. The word first appears in an English context in the last half of the 17th century to differentiate between "muskets" which were matchlocks and "fuzees" which were flintlock - the men who carried them were "Fusileers" and were detailed to guard artillery. At the time, cannon were still loaded from open barrels of powder and having burning match cord in close proximity was an obvious danger.
In time the word was transferred to a any light musket, usually of carbine bore (.65 in British use) and eventually to describe any smoothbore musket that was lighter than the Land Pattern muskets.

The most miss-used version of the term is "officer's fusil" which, while they certainly existed, were only a very small proportion of the light muskets. Most of the guns so described are simply commercial light muskets made for a variety of reasons but never intended as arms specifically made for officers.

 

[tg]

And do not forget the "Fuke"

 

[Congress Own Regiment]

fuke is for trade gun?
Thanks guy that is very informative.
While looking for definitions current uses of the world lead many undiscerning directions. from watches to fuses.

My hopes are to be as correct as possible making weapons used by ancestor both famous and little know. it is funny how few weapons are listed in estates and wills.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Fusee was also used by the English to differentiate the cylinder bored barrels designed for ball (like the "officer's fusils" from the fowling gun barrels designed for shot that had a belled muzzle (inside the bore).

 

[pargent]

all of the above and then some,for french and english,class,place of origin had and still has an efect on how words are pronounced,a very large % of english words are actualy of french orign,(from the normans). most martial words in the english voc. are french as well. :hatsoff:

 

[2172]

Since the Normans were the conquerors. the words dealing with food split between winners (Normans) and losers (Saxons) as swine (Saxon) vs pork (Norman), Kine/beef, sheep/mutton...the Saxons got to care for the cattle, the Normans got to eat the stuff....Hank