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The arbalest (also arblast), a variation of the crossbow, came into use in Europe around the 12th century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The arbalest was a large weapon with a steel prod, or bow assembly. Since the arbalest was much larger than earlier crossbows, and because of the greater tensile strength of steel, it had a greater force. The greater draw weight was offset by a shorter draw length, which limited the total potential energy that could be transferred into the crossbow bolt. A skilled arbalestier (arbalester) could loose two bolts per minute.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
NomenclatureEdit
The term "arbalest" is sometimes used interchangeably with "crossbow". Arbalest is a Medieval French word originating from the Roman name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'bow' + {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'missile-throwing engine'),<ref>Template:OED (arbalist, arblast)</ref> which was then used for crossbows, although originally used for types of artillery.
Modern French uses the word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, which is linguistically one step further from the stem, due to the disappearance of the s 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).
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