in military affairs, a wooden staff about three feet long, having a sharp point in one end and a sort of fork or crotch on the other; the latter of which serves to contain a lighted match, and by the former the lintstock is occasionally stuck in the ground, or in the deck of a ship during an engagement. It is very frequently used in small vessels, where there is commonly one fixed between every two guns, by which the match is always kept dry, and ready for firing.