artillery

ar·til·lery

noun \är-ˈti-lər-ē, -ˈtil-rē\

plural ar·til·ler·ies

Definition of ARTILLERY

1

: weapons (as bows, slings, and catapults) for discharging missiles

2

a : large bore crew-served mounted firearms (as guns, howitzers, and rockets) : ordnance

b : a branch of an army armed with artillery

3

: means of impressing, arguing, or persuading

Examples of ARTILLERY

1. The troops were being bombarded by artillery.
2. a captain in the artillery

Origin of ARTILLERY

Middle English artillerie, from Anglo-French, from artiller to equip, arm, alteration of Old French atillier, from Vulgar Latin *apticulare, from Latin aptare to don, prepare, fit — more at adapt

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to ARTILLERY

Synonyms

guns, ordnance

Related Words

ammunition, armament, arms, munitions, weaponry, weapons

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Rhymes with ARTILLERY

distillery

artillery

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In modern military science, big guns such as cannons, howitzers, or mortars operated by crews and of a calibre greater than 15 mm. The earliest artillery, introduced in the 14th century, were cannons and mortars of bronze, brass, or iron mounted on two-wheeled carriages. Modern artillery dates from the second half of the 19th century, when advances included steel gun barrels, more powerful gunpowders, and piston mountings that held artillery carriages steady during recoil. Both powder and projectile were encased in a shell, which allowed for faster loading. Since World War II, artillery has been ranked as light (up to 105 mm, for support of ground troops), medium (106–155 mm, for bombardment), and heavy (over 155 mm, for attacking rear installations). See also antiaircraft gun.