Meanings
nounbalister (plural balisters)
plural balisters · alternative ballister
- obsoleteA crossbow.
From thence to the door of the Church was made a Gallery about three foot broad, with a Balister on each side, and both on one side, and the other were placed Benches for the Criminals and their Godfathers to sit on
1688, Gabriel Dellon, The History of the Inquisition as it is Exercised at Goa - obsoleteAn arbalister or crossbowman.
standeth the cunning Balister
1642, Thomas Goodwin, Romanae historiae anthologia recognita et aucta
Origin
- Old Frenchbalestre
- Englishbalister
From Old French balestre. See ballista.
More words from Old French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
balister. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balister
MLA
“balister.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balister. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balister,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balister.
Source: balister on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.