Standard Lemma guide

trebuchet

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈtɹɛbəʃɛt/
  • UK: /ˈtɹɛb.jə.ʃeɪ/
  • UK: /ˈtɹɛb.ju.ʃeɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: trěb’yo͞o-shet
  • US: /ˈtɹɛb.juˌʃɛt/
  • US: /ˈtɹɛb.jəˌʃeɪ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A medieval siege engine consisting of a large pivoting arm heavily weighted on one end.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Medieval trebuchets are said to have been capable of launching 90-kg projectiles over distances of more than 300 meters.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: catapult

2

noun

Meaning 2

A torture device for dunking suspected witches by means of a chair attached to the end of a long pole.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To shoot with a trebuchet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: catapult, arbalest, arbalist, ballista, bricole, mangonel, onager, trebucket

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: engine

History

Etymology

From Old French trebuchet, trebuket et al. (modern trébuchet), from trebuchier (“to overthrow, topple”), from tres- + *buchier, from Old French buc (“trunk of the body”), from Old Frankish *būk (“belly, trunk, torso”), from Proto-Germanic *būkaz (“belly, abdomen, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhōw- (“to blow, swell”). Cognate with Old High German būh (“belly”), Old English būc (“belly, trunk”). More at bouk.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: منجنيق (manjanīq) — trebuchet
  • Arabic: مَنْجَنيق (manjanīq, manjanīg) — trebuchet
  • Catalan: trabuquet — trebuchet
  • Catalan: trabuc — trebuchet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 重力拋石機 /重力抛石机 (zhònglì pāoshíjī) — trebuchet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 配重拋石機 /配重抛石机 (pèizhòng pāoshíjī) — trebuchet
  • Chinese Mandarin: 回回砲 /回回炮 (huíhuípào) — trebuchet
  • Danish: blide — trebuchet
  • Dutch: slingerarm — trebuchet
  • Dutch: slingerblijde — trebuchet
  • Esperanto: ĵetmaŝino — trebuchet
  • Esperanto: trebuŝeto — trebuchet
  • Finnish: vastapainokatapultti — trebuchet
  • French: trébuchet — trebuchet
  • Galician: trabuco — trebuchet
  • Galician: trabuquete — trebuchet
  • Georgian: ტრებუშეტი (ṭrebušeṭi) — trebuchet
  • German: Blide — trebuchet
  • German: Tribock — trebuchet
  • Middle High German: blīde — trebuchet
  • Hebrew: טְרֶבּוּשֶׁה (trebushe) — trebuchet
  • Hungarian: kőhajítógép (ostrom) — trebuchet
  • Italian: trabucco — trebuchet
  • Italian: trabocco — trebuchet
  • Japanese: トレビュシェット (torebyushetto) — trebuchet
  • Japanese: 平衡錘投石機 (heikōsui-tōsekiki) — trebuchet
  • Latin: blīda — trebuchet
  • Lithuanian: trebušetas — trebuchet
  • Lithuanian: trebušė — trebuchet
  • Macedonian: требуше́ (trebušé) — trebuchet
  • Norwegian Bokmål: blide — trebuchet
  • Norwegian Bokmål: valslynge — trebuchet
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: blide — trebuchet
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: valslynge — trebuchet
  • Occitan: trabuc — trebuchet
  • Occitan: trabuche — trebuchet
  • Occitan: trabuquet — trebuchet
  • Persian: کشکنجیر (koškanjir) — trebuchet
  • Polish: trebusz — trebuchet
  • Portuguese: trabuco — trebuchet
  • Russian: требуше́т (trebušét) — trebuchet
  • Russian: требюше́ (trebjušé) — trebuchet
  • Spanish: fundíbulo — trebuchet
  • Spanish: trabuquete — trebuchet
  • Spanish: lanzapiedras — trebuchet
  • Spanish: fonébol — trebuchet
  • Swedish: blida — trebuchet
  • Swedish: kastmaskin — trebuchet
  • Turkish: mancınık — trebuchet
  • Ottoman Turkish: منجنیق (mencenik, mancınık) — trebuchet