bascule
/ˈbæskjuːl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.75 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The portion of a breech-loading firearm that pivots open in order to allow access to the chamber.
Example Sentences
- "In the late eighties and early nineties several new types of movable spans were advocated, including the pull-back draw, the jackknife span, the bob-tail swing, the horizontal-folding draw, the shearpole draw, the gyratory lift, the transbordeur, the double-cantilever swing, several types of bascule, and the vertical lift."
- "The study sample contains nine rolling-lift bascules of the type invented by Chicago engineer William Scherzer in 1893 , and refined by the engineering staff of the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Company, also of Chicago."
- "Look at those towering structures. It’s the first combination of bascule and suspension bridge ever attempted. Most innovative. [In reference to w:Tower Bridge.]"
- "A device for coupling and releasing the trigger mechanism in a bascule of a gun"
Etymology
Origin
- Source language: French