From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcrossbowcross‧bow /ˈkrɒsbəʊ $ ˈkrɒːsboʊ/ noun [countable] PMWa weapon like a small bow attached to a longer piece of wood, used for shooting arrows with a lot of force
Examples from the Corpus
crossbow• At the siege of Drincourt, however, Philip's brother, Matthew of Boulogne, was wounded by a crossbow bolt.• Foresters passed us, small wiry men carrying machetes and, in one case, a crossbow for shooting birds.• His original longbow was losing its springiness, so he was cutting out the pieces for a crossbow.• Thousands of High Elves were cut down by crossbow fire as they waded ashore.• The Defence budget would stand buying another catapult tomorrow; my crossbow would just have to wait another week or so.• A small crossbow bolt had been sent smashing into the back of his skull.• One of the crossbows on the wall is magical, but wasn't quite enchanted properly.• Currently, transmitters are planted on whales by shooting them with crossbows from boats.Origin crossbow (1400-1500) Because it is in the shape of a cross 