From Old French trebuchier 'to topple,' a siege engine that literally 'overthrows' walls by hurling massive stones via counterweight.
A medieval siege engine that uses a counterweight to hurl heavy projectiles at enemy fortifications.
From Old French trebuchet, from trebuchier 'to overthrow, overturn,' from tre- (from Latin trans- 'across') + buc 'trunk, body' (from Frankish *būk 'belly, trunk'). The word literally means 'something that makes bodies topple over.' The counterweight trebuchet appeared in the 12th century and could hurl 300-pound stones over 300 yards. Key roots: *trans- (Latin: "across"), *būk (Proto-Germanic: "belly, trunk").