# blunderbuss

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈblʌn.dəˌbʌs/ · frequency rank #84,036

## Definitions
1. An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range.

## Etymology
From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/blunderbuss