Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Large-caliber weapons, such as cannon, howitzers, and missile launchers, that are operated by crews.
- n. The branch of an army that specializes in the use of such weapons.
- n. The science of the use of guns; gunnery.
- n. Weapons, such as catapults, arbalests, and other early devices, used for discharging missiles.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Implements of war: in this sense formerly with a plural.
- n. In particular Engines for discharging missiles, as catapults, bows, crossbows, slings, etc.
- n. In modern use, properly, all firearms discharged from carriages, in contradistinction to small arms, which are discharged from the hand; cannon; ordnance. Guns, howitzers, and mortars are the three kinds of artillery employed in the land service of the United States. They are classified as light and heavy artillery, according to their character, and as field, siege, and sea-coast artillery, according to their principal use. See phrases below.
- n. Hence The particular troops employed in the service of such firearms.
- n. The science which treats of the use and management of ordnance.
Wiktionary
- n. Large cannon like weapons, transportable and usually operated by more than one person.
- n. A unit of the army, that uses such weapons.
- n. Gunnery.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Munitions of war; implements for warfare, as slings, bows, and arrows.
- n. Cannon; great guns; ordnance, including guns, mortars, howitzers, etc., with their equipment of carriages, balls, bombs, and shot of all kinds.
- n. The men and officers of that branch of the army to which the care and management of artillery are confided.
- n. The science of artillery or gunnery.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an army unit that uses big guns
- n. large but transportable armament
- n. a means of persuading or arguing
Etymologies
- Middle English artillerie, from Old French, from artillier, to equip, perhaps alteration of atiller, from Vulgar Latin *apticulāre, from Latin aptāre, to fit, adapt, from aptus, apt; see apt.
Examples
“Then there was an ugly confrontation between members of the battalion's Alpha and Charlie batteries -- the term artillery units use instead of "companies" -- that threatened to turn into a brawl involving three dozen soldiers, and required the base police to intervene.”
“The programme of our artillery is a very wonderful one.”
“Then there was an ugly confrontation between members of the battalion’s Alpha and Charlie batteries — the term artillery units use instead of “companies” — that threatened to turn into a brawl involving three dozen soldiers, and required the base police to intervene.”
“You better keep your head in your * ss then so that artillery is properly corked!”
“(Hint: The reason that you can do ballistic shelling with artillery is that the round is much heavier and is operated on by air resistance and aerodynamic forces much less than the much lighter rifle round and the even lighter pistol round.)”
Think Progress » Obama bumper sticker fuels violent political road rage in Tennessee.
“Mr. Brooks is, in all likelihood, immune to the artillery from the right since he's viewed with suspicion already; he writes for the New York Times, fer chrissake, and contributes to NPR.”
“Having regard to the restrictions on an occupying power imposed by international law, minimum force must be used, the use of air power and artillery is to be avoided, the action should be primarily “boots on the ground”.”
“Having regard to the restrictions on an occupying power imposed by international law, minimum force must be used, the use of air power and artillery is to be avoided, the action should be primarily “boots on the ground””
“He was an expert in artillery and taught at the Technical Military Academy from 1877 to 1882.”
“Our rocket artillery is simply a mass of rounds pointed at the general area of the enemy.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘artillery’.
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New Words
No definite conception of these words.
reggaeton, fugacious, astray, artillery, quietism, heteronomy, plebeian, remit, hypostasize, discountenance, rictus, wail and 39 more...
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Mandles, Candles for Men
candles with a "manly" scent
a1 steak sauce, baseball glove, grillin' out, campfire, pigskin, bowling alley, musty locker room, chuck norris sweat, urinal deodorizer, bait shop, wet dog, hardware store and 188 more...
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War Imagery
bomb, grenade, frag, battlefield, strife, war, commander, sergeant, rifle, gun, bullet, siege and 18 more...
chained_bear Captured at Yorktown: 2 regiments of artillery, including "60 pieces brass cannon, 150 iron ditto (meaning "the same")," and the men who operated them (number not enumerated separately, though included in the total of about 7,900). Oct 29, 2007