Main Entry:

car·bine

Pronunciation:

\ˈkär-ˌbēn, -ˌbīn\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French carabine, from Middle French carabin carabineer

Date:

1592

1 : a short-barreled lightweight firearm originally used by cavalry 2 : a light short-barreled repeating rifle that is used as a supplementary military arm or for hunting in dense brush