firelock

1. (historical) A form of gunlock, in which the priming is ignited by a spark.historical

2. (by extension, historical) A firearm using such a gunlock.Examples: "He looked round for his gun, but in place of the clean well-oiled fowing-piece, he found an old firelock lying by him, the barrel encrusted with rust, the lock falling off, and the stock worm-eaten."; "Alfred, surprised to meet his father, whom he thought absent from home, […] stood, holding his firelock in one hand, and his hat in the other […]"; "Before we were out of the forest, however, we saw about ten peasants, some armed with firelocks [translating Feuer-rohren], others busy burying something."broadlyhistorical