Carbineer
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Carabineer
A soldier armed with a short light rifle (called a carbine) such as is used by cavalry. The word is from Fr. carabine, which is either from Calabrinus, a Calabrian (in which case the word would originally mean a skirmisher or light horse- man), or from late Lat. chadabula, a kind of ballista for hurling projectiles. The 6th Dragoon Guards in the British Army are known as the Carabiniers.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Carbineer” mean?
A soldier armed with a short light rifle (called a carbine) such as is used by cavalry. The word is from Fr. carabine, which is either from Calabrinus, a Calabrian (in which case the word would originally mean a skirmisher or light horse- man), or from late Lat. chadabula, a kind of ballista for hurling projectiles. The 6th Dragoon Guards in the British Army are known as the Carabiniers.
Is “Carbineer” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.