Trebuckets are an ancient siege weapon used to launch large projectiles at enemy fortifications. They were often made from wood, leather, and rope and powered by a counterweight system. The term trebucket has a few synonyms that can be used interchangeably. One such synonym is "mangonel", which is another type of medieval catapult that used twisted rope to fire projectiles. Another similar term is "onager", which is a type of ancient catapult that used a torsion system to fling rocks and other heavy missiles. Trebuchet is another word sometimes used synonymously to trebucket but is actually a different type of catapult that uses a swinging arm to launch projectiles.