noun
- a soldier or person skilled in operating a crossbow or arbalest
Usage: historical; archaic
Examples
- Medieval armies relied on arbalists to provide ranged firepower on the battlefield.
- The arbalist's crossbow could penetrate armor that arrows could not.
- Training an arbalist required years of practice to master the weapon.
- During the siege, arbalists positioned themselves on the castle walls.
- The arbalist loaded his crossbow with a mechanical lever before each shot.