noun
- Plural of petronel; a short, large-caliber firearm used by cavalry soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Usage: historical; archaic
Examples
- The cavalry regiment was equipped with petronels for mounted combat.
- Petronels were favored by horsemen because they were shorter and easier to handle than full-length muskets.
- Historical records describe petronels as powerful weapons with a distinctive curved stock.
- The museum's collection includes several well-preserved petronels from the 1600s.