hwacha

English

A hwacha model at the Seoul War Memorial.

Etymology

Borrowed from Korean 화차(火車) (hwacha).

Noun

hwacha (plural hwachas)

1. (historical) A mid-16th-century Korean weapon that launched a barrage of rockets or arrows at enemies using gunpowder.
   • 2010, Myung Oak Kim, Sam Jaffe, The New Korea: An Inside Look at South Korea's Economic Rise, page 149:

     After lighting a common fuse, the hwacha fired as many as a hundred arrows, all of which landed in a precise spot.

   • 2004, George M. Siouris, Missile guidance and control systems, Springer, page 1:

     This improvement allowed as many as one hundred sinkijons to be mounted on the hwacha, boosting the overall firepower and mobility of the rocket.

Synonyms

• fire cart