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Photo of a cannon.

Weapons & war terms

Things that can be used to hurt or restrain other people or animals.

Photo of a boomerang
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A boomerang is a curved piece of wood used that was originally used by Australian Aborigines as a weapon or for sport. If you throw a boomerang right, it will travel around in a loop and come back to you. Other cultures outside of Australia have also developed boomerangs, but theirs do not return when you throw them.
A bow is a weapon that is used to fire arrows at a target. Someone who uses a bow and arrows is called an archer. A bow can be used for hunting animals, target practise for sport, or as a weapon in war.

Bis forBrawl

A brawl is a noisy, disorganised fight, often between lots of people.

Bis forBullet

A bullet is a small, heavy, pointed object that is fired from a gun at high speed. Bullets are made mostly from lead coated in copper. The reason they are coated is because lead has a relatively low melting point, and in some guns the bullets come out of the gun so hot the lead melts. Copper has a higher melting point. Bullets existed before guns, and were much rounder and made of lead or were just small round stones. They were used in slingshots.
Photo of a cannon
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Cis forCannon

A cannon is a weapon that uses an explosive charge inside a heavy, metal barrel to force out a heavy metal ball called a cannonball at high speed. Cannonballs usually weighed around 19kg. Cannons are rarely used today, however when they were commonplace they were extremely dangerous. They were particularly useful in battles between ships, as a cannonball could easily go through the side of a wooden ship, which would make it take on water and sink.
Photo of a wooden catapult or trebuchet
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Cis forCatapult

A catapult is a device that can fling a projectile, such as a stone, a long way without using explosives. Catapults are large, and are usually moved arond on a cart with wheels. There are various designs of catapult, powered by tensioned rope, sinew or gravity, in the case of the trebuchet. Catapults were used during sieges to break down the defensive walls of castles or used to throw things into castles. The catapult in the picture is a "turn bucket" style, using gravity and a counterweight to fling a projectile.
Photo of a man wearing chainmail
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Chain mail is a type of armour that was worn to protect against being cut by bladed weapons like swords. It was used by a number of cultures for hundreds of years, and is still in use today. It is used as protective armour against shark bites.
A club is a very simple weapon, usually made from a piece of wood that is thicker at one end than the other. Clubs are usually associated with very primitive humans.
Photo of a crossbow
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Cis forCrossbow

A crossbow is a weapon similar to a bow but much easier to use. Crossbows fire bolts while bows fire arrows. The bow string on a crossbow is pulled back using a small winch or a rod and then held in place by a small catch, while a bow needs a very strong arm to hold the string back continuously until the arrow is fired. Crossbows require less strength and skill to use, and were a very effective weapon before the gun became commonplace.
Photo of a dagger.
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Dis forDagger

A dagger is a small sword or knife that is meant to be used in a stabbing action.