noun
- small holes in the breech of early firearms through which the charge was ignited
Usage: historical; firearms
Examples
- The musket’s touchhole was clogged with gunpowder residue.
- Soldiers had to keep their touchholes clean for reliable firing.
- The cannon’s touchhole was primed with fine powder.
- Rain could render a firearm useless if water entered the touchhole.
- The gunsmith carefully drilled the touchhole in the barrel.
- Revolutionary War muskets featured prominent touchholes on their sides.