Arbalest: "a crossbow, very common in Europe during the middle ages, consisting of a steel bow set crosswise in a shaft of wood, furnished with a string and a trigger, and bent by a crank windless. It propelled arrows, balls, or stones." _Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language_. Unabridged. 2nd ed. 1969. The dictionary also provides an etymology tracing the word to Latin _arcus_, bow, and _ballista_, an engine for hurtling projectiles; from Greek _ballein_, to throw. Rich Tuerk East Texas SU