Editing Arbalest (section)

== Nomenclature ==
The term "arbalest" is sometimes used interchangeably with "crossbow". ''Arbalest'' is a [[Old French|Medieval French]] word originating from the Roman name ''{{lang|la|arcuballista}}'' (from ''{{lang|la|arcus}}'' 'bow' + ''{{lang|la|[[ballista]]}}'' 'missile-throwing engine'),<ref>{{OED|arbalest}} (arbalist, arblast)</ref> which was then used for crossbows, although originally used for types of [[artillery]]. 

[[French language|Modern French]] uses the word ''{{lang|fr|arbalète}}'', which is linguistically one step further from the stem, due to the disappearance of the ''s'' [[phoneme|phoneme]] in the last syllable. This form of the word applies to both crossbows and arbalests (the latter may be referred to as a ''heavy crossbow'', but an actual heavy crossbow may not be the same as an arbalest).