Brown Bess

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The British Army's Land Pattern Musket or any of its derivatives, standard-issue weapons for British soldiers in the American Revolution.

Word forms

Brown Bess Brown Besses

Etymology

From an archaic meaning of brown, meaning plain or ordinary, and Bess, a nickname for Elizabeth associated with the lower class and prostitutes.

Synonyms

Black Bess
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