Definitions for "Snaphance"
A spring lock for discharging a firearm; also, the firearm to which it is attached.
Snaphance or Snaphaunce refers to a mechanism for igniting a firearm's propellant usually in a muzzleloading gun. The mechanism, which first appeared in the late 1550s, uses flint and steel to create a shower of sparks to ignite the propellant in the gun.