Random Mode Keyboard shortcut: Command/Ctrl + Shift + R
thumbnail

Military History Vocabulary

Guess these words and phrases from military history. To make it easier, we give you the first letter.
Quiz by Quizmaster
Rate:
Last updated: July 22, 2019
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedOctober 30, 2015
Times taken51,355
Average score66.7%
Rating4.83
4:00
Enter answer here
0
 / 21 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Definition
Letter
Word
A knight's assistant
S
Squire
A pilot who shoots down 5 enemy aircraft
A
Ace
Type of sword used by samurai
K
Katana
Group of about 5,000 Roman soldiers
L
Legion
German "lightning war" during WWII
B
Blitzkrieg
Self-propelled missile which travels underwater
T
Torpedo
Blade attached to the end of a firearm
B
Bayonet
Rectangular formation of spearmen in ancient Greece
P
Phalanx
Either a large Scottish sword or a U.S. land mine
C
Claymore
Powerful type of catapult from the Middle Ages
T
Trebuchet
Most powerful type of warship prior to the aircraft carrier
B
Battleship
Combatant who uses irregular tactics to fight a larger, more powerful force
G
Guerrilla
Type of firearm commonly used from 1600 to about 1850
M
Musket
Firearm that replaced the above. Has grooves to "spin" the bullet.
R
Rifle
Very long spear. Once the favorite weapon of the Swiss
P
Pike
Flammable liquid that sticks to the skin. Invented by the U.S. in 1942.
N
Napalm
Byzantine weapon similar to the above
G
Greek Fire
Warship propelled by rows of oarsmen
G
Galley
Powerful, easy-to-use bow that fires bolts
C
Crossbow
Combat engineer. Originally a trench digger.
S
Sapper
A victory that is so costly it is like a defeat
P
Pyrrhic Victory
+4
Level 74
Nov 26, 2015
Good stuff, thanks for making this.
+2
Level 90
Nov 28, 2015
"Easy to use" crossbow? Only in the same sense that a flintlock musket is easy to use if someone has done all the work of preparation for you. The modern hunting crossbow is significantly different than the models used for warfare in centuries past. A very lethal weapon is the hands of an experienced warrior, but a crossbow takes years of experience to become a truly effective weapon.
+16
Level 82
Dec 10, 2015
Easier to fire accurately and with lethal force. Difficult to load and get ready to fire.
+18
Level 83
Dec 10, 2015
Usually the crossbow is considered to be easy to master compared to the longbow. In the 100-years war, for example, it apparently only took a few months to train peasants to use crossbows effectively in battle, while it took about 10 years to master the longbow.

I'm just guessing here, but maybe that's what the question eludes to?

+10
Level 60
Dec 10, 2015
Probably because you don't need to hold a 120 pound draw string on a crossbow.
+6
Level ∞
Dec 10, 2015
@tielenhei87. Yes, exactly.
+4
Level 90
Nov 28, 2015
Also, wonderful quiz! I enjoyed the range of knowledge. Not too obvious, not too obscure.
+1
Level 35
Dec 7, 2015
A sapper was actually one of a group of people who dug TUNNELS under walls during ancient/medieval times for the purpose of eliminating the wall's foundation, causing it to come crashing down. Then a bunch of men with swords and stuff ran in and killed everyone! Yay! :D Great quiz.
+2
Level 62
Dec 10, 2015
Not quite - the tunnel digging was an extension of the original task of using trenches to allow weapons to be brought to bear on difficult to reach enemy positions. In common usage they are thought of as tunnel diggers, but originally they were trench diggers. A modern sapper is really a general term for an military engineer.
+1
Level 56
Feb 24, 2023
Either way, can we accept 'sapeur' please?
+1
Level 24
Dec 12, 2015
Awesome quiz! One of the best I have taken in a while.
+5
Level 54
Nov 14, 2016
I originally guessed "Seabee" for combat engineer. In the Navy the construction and build teams were shortened to C&B and people started calling them CB's for short and that eventually morphed into sea bees. That's why if you're a naval construction and build team member your patch will have a bee on it. Although I am not certain if construction and build team is the same as combat engineer although they both build stuff.
+1
Level 66
Oct 8, 2019
Interesting. Funny how quickly words can alter, and terms can arise
+2
Level 60
Sep 2, 2021
Not even "eventually." They embraced the Seebees from the get go. They even put a bee in a navy cap, holding a spanner, a hammer and a machine gun into their crest. Which is both cool and hilarious, IMHO.
+1
Level 48
Feb 5, 2018
100% first try 1:31 left :)
+4
Level 74
Apr 22, 2018
Now, now, no bragging.
+2
Level 82
Apr 25, 2018
This really was very easy for someone interested in ancient warfare. Needs a more challenging part 2.
+4
Level 66
Oct 8, 2019
All the quizzes on this site are easy for the people interested in that specific subject. I think a quiz getting an average of 15/21 has a good range. (though I didnt find it hard either but wouldnt call it too easy in general)
+7
Level 62
Apr 25, 2018
Thank you Sid Meier's Civilization
+5
Level 64
Apr 25, 2018
Thank you Age of Empires II
+1
Level 66
Feb 22, 2021
Thank you Medieval 2, Total War
+1
Level 73
Feb 23, 2023
Thank you Kings and Generals Youtube channel.
+2
Level 63
Apr 25, 2018
Isn't a "galley" a ship's kitchen? I think you mean "galleon"?
+3
Level 34
Apr 25, 2018
no the quiz maker is correct as per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley
+1
Level 76
Apr 25, 2018
That's why those operating the oars were called "galley slaves."
+1
Level 48
Apr 25, 2018
I absolutely refuse to believe that SIX out of ten people knew that a Middle Ages catapult was called a trebuchet. I consider myself reasonably intelligent and I'd never even heard the word before in my sixty years. Remember folks, when you cheat by googling this stuff, you're only cheating yourself.
+1
Level 85
Apr 25, 2018
Trebuchets are sometimes used in the "punkin chunkin" contests. There have also been some PBS specials on them. A Scoutmaster who lives near me had his Boy Scouts build one, and the plans on the Internet suggest that he's not the only one.
+6
Level 82
Apr 25, 2018
I have heard this word many, many, many, many times in movies, books, computer games, board games, documentaries, etc... I could draw you a picture of one and explain the mechanism for how it works and how it differs from more traditional catapults you might see on Road Runner cartoons or in Ernest Goes To Camp. I think probably 9/10 of my close friends would know what a trebuchet was. Most of them are nerds, sure, but what do you think the profile of the average person who visits a quiz website every day is?
+7
Level 76
Apr 25, 2018
Just because a lot of people know something you didn't doesn't mean they cheated. In my 36 years, I've heard the word trebuchet numerous times. I remember building one out of Legos when I was a kid, and have seen them referenced in pop culture, like these two Cul De Sac comic strips. And if so many people cheated, then why do only 1 in 3 know "sapper" or "Pyrrhic victory?"
+8
Level 77
Apr 25, 2018
This is just a blind spot for you. Trebuchets are common knowledge. My 8 year old knows about them and can explain how they are different from traditional catapults.
+3
Level 43
Apr 25, 2018
Whether you believe it or not, trebuchets are incredibly common knowledge. The fact that you didn't know about them doesn't change that.
+1
Level 61
Apr 25, 2018
One of the few things I learned on the History Channel. But I think many of the quiz takers learned it not from googling but from taking the quiz multiple times.
+2
Level 82
Apr 25, 2018
I also know what a ballista is :)
+3
Level 93
Sep 25, 2019
yeah the guy that gives you coffee in the morning right? ;)
+2
Level 66
Oct 8, 2019
lmao hahah yeah that one with the lisp
+5
Level 45
Apr 27, 2018
I know trebuchet from Age of Empires
+1
Level 62
Apr 27, 2018
So, while it is a somewhat common term, it's also true that this website has a subreddit, meaning quite a lot of the users of this site do frequent reddit. That said, there is a subreddit called r/trebuchetmemes that makes the front page... disturbingly often. That said, comparing it to a catapult is an insult against the clearly superior siege weapon. QM should be ashamed.

Seriously though, if you ask probably a solid quarter of reddit's user base about trebuchets, they'll probably be able to recite from memory: "a medieval siege weapon capable of launching a 90kg projectile 300m". Don't question it, the internet is a strange place.

+2
Level 58
May 2, 2018
You didn't grow up playing Civilization series then. :)
+1
Level 66
Oct 8, 2019
Really? If you know the world catapult why not know the word trebuchet? I am absolutely not surprised 6/10 people know it. Definitely not on a site like this.

And personally I think it is kind of weak to call people cheaters just because you yourself havent heard of a word. If that many people cheated on this quiz, the average wouldnt be as low as 15 (I would have thought it would have been higher, the question werent really tough)

Plus anyone that has watched myhtbusters will have come across it multiple times. Or anyone that likes davinci, or middle ages in general or physics or... well there are tons of ways to be exposed to the word.

+2
Level 71
Dec 2, 2019
Before taking multiple Jetpunk quizzes I was unaware of the term as well. However, I now know the term, and also on an unrelated topic I know way to much about Spongebob
+2
Level 49
Jun 23, 2020
six out of ten people that took this quiz
+8
Level 86
Apr 25, 2018
Spent more time trying to figure out where to put the "h" in pyrrhic than I did on the rest of the quiz.
+3
Level 61
Apr 25, 2018
I left the H out and still got credit.
+1
Level 51
Apr 25, 2018
Really interesting, thanks!
+9
Level 58
May 2, 2018
I don't think you should accept "Blitz" for "Blitzkrieg" as the Blitz refers to the German bombing campaign of Britain in 1940-41.
+1
Level 77
Feb 22, 2021
Seconded. Accepting Blitz is a bit strange since it's a discrete event in the same war. Also, fun fact, the term blitzkrieg was made up by the press and was never an official term used by the Reich army. Apparently, it even annoyed some of the Nazi commanders, so let's be sure to always use it to describe the strategy because Nazis are jerks!
+1
Level 55
Jul 22, 2019
guerrilla should be spelt with two 'r's as it comes from the French 'guerre'
+1
Level ∞
Jul 22, 2019
Fixed, thanks!
+2
Level 66
Feb 27, 2020
Close, but it's from the Spanish guerra.
+1
Level 60
Sep 10, 2019
The more correct term for a crossbow missile is a QUERREL, sometimes 'quarrel'. A bolt is fired from a ballista, catapult or onager.
+1
Level 66
Oct 8, 2019
Huh what?? unless you know something the rest of the word doesnt, a bolt really is used with a crossbow. And an onager is a donkey ;) But the one you are talking about throws stones not bolts, (which are short metal rods with a bulbous end) since whatever is used for ammo is launched from a bucket or bag so that wouldnt really work with a bunch of rods..

You arent totally wrong though, quarrels are bolts that are used for crossbows (still bolts though) , they specifically refer to the square shaped ones, recognise the word quadruple/quadrant in it? It means 4 sided (square)

+2
Level 55
Sep 23, 2019
Would it make it better for history's sake and use the ww1 term for battleships, which was dreadnought?
+1
Level 55
Sep 7, 2020
some WW1 battleships were dreadnoughts, some were pre-dreadnoughts, and some were super-dreadnoughts...
+1
Level ∞
Dec 12, 2020
My favorite episode of "Fixer Upper" is the one in which they lovingly restore a WWI era Orion class super-dreadnought.
+4
Level 66
Oct 8, 2019
Wow I surprised myself here. Saw military and guessed if I get 1% right it would be a lot.. I know the word army and soldier, but other ranks and terms and tactics, totally clueless. But I guess since it is about historic terms I knew quite a lot (somehow dont really associate these with military, in my mind that is more modern, but I think that is the language barrier and how often you hear think in combination of certain subjects)

I actually only missed the last two ! (and I still see it more (in my head) as warfare terms or combat)

+1
Level 77
Feb 22, 2021
Just a thought, but I really couldn't figure out why "polearm" didn't work for the Swiss long spear question. I mean, it's technically accurate. Just to specify that it isn't the answer you're looking for, maybe you could include the term polearm into the question? Like, "Very long spear. Once the favorite polearm of the Swiss."
+1
Level 52
Feb 22, 2021
Nice quiz. I think you could add some time for us non-English speakers. It takes some time just to read and understand questions.
+2
Level 56
Oct 22, 2021
a trebuchet is not a catapult
+1
Level 65
Feb 23, 2023
It's not a TORSION catapult but it's still a stone thrower that releases stored mechanical energy with a swinging arm.

Torsion catapults like the roman onager (the generic catapult in popular culture) weren't used anymore at the time, humidity made the torsion spring lose all power, the medieval mangonel also used a counterweight to power itself.

+1
Level 65
Feb 23, 2023
Still not a catapult ;)
+1
Level 49
Sep 20, 2022
I know it needs to stick with the letter, but really it should be "halberd/halbard/halbert", not "pike". A pike is more general, and with you specifically mentioning the Swiss, I feel halberd is more accurate
+1
Level 38
Feb 23, 2023
All of us who took this quiz are probably now under close observation from the Pentagon
+1
Level 86
Feb 23, 2023
So, I thought the guerrilla question was incorrect, but there is apparently a metonymy in English. In Spanish, the word for the fighter is guerrillero (guérillero in French, fyi), while guerrilla (which is a diminutive of guerra = war) is the warfare style.
+1
Level 34
Feb 24, 2023
Got everything but pyrrhic victory. Great quiz though!
+1
Level 20
Feb 25, 2023
Interesting quiz
+1
Level 80
Feb 25, 2023
Nice, looking forward to more of these!
+1
Level 72
Jul 1, 2023
Please accept KITANA as an alternate spelling for the samurai sword. I study martial arts and that's the one we use. I also found it on the internet as an option.
+1
Level 67
Sep 25, 2023
Never heard of a trebuchet, interesting how most people know it