1. Plural of hackbut; early portable firearms with a matchlock mechanism, used in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Usage: archaic; historical; also spelled 'arquebus' or 'harquebus' in some contexts

Examples

• The soldiers were armed with hackbuts and pikes during the Renaissance.
• Hackbuts required a lit match to fire, making them slower than modern firearms.
• The regiment's hackbuts gave them a significant advantage over archers.
• Loading a hackbut in battle was a time-consuming process.
• Historical museums display examples of hackbuts from the 16th century.