Lunt

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A slow-burning cord or match used to ignite the charge in a cannon or firearm ; to rise or emit smoke and vapor from a surface
2. A burning or smoldering fuse designed for firing artillery ; to emit or rise as smoke or vapor
3. A gradually burning cord applied to detonate a cannon's powder charge ; to discharge smoke or steam visibly

Etymology: "Lunt" is a word for a slow-burning match or fuse, and it reached English from Dutch "lont," which carries the same sense of a wick or fuse. The Dutch term is the direct source, so the English word is a straightforward borrowing rather than a product of later English word-building. The interest lies in the setting it came from. A lunt was the kind of fuse used to set off firearms and cannon in the era of matchlock weapons, when a glowing cord had to stay lit and ready. Dutch and English contact in the early modern period, especially through naval and military life, brought a number of such technical terms across the North Sea, and "lunt" is one of the small survivals of that exchange.

Synonyms: fuse, match