artillery

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Large-caliber weapons, such as cannon, howitzers, and missile launchers, that are operated by crews.
2. n. The branch of an army that specializes in the use of such weapons.
3. n. The science of the use of guns; gunnery.
4. n. Weapons, such as catapults, arbalests, and other early devices, used for discharging missiles.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Implements of war: in this sense formerly with a plural.
2. n. In particular Engines for discharging missiles, as catapults, bows, crossbows, slings, etc.
3. 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.
4. n. Hence The particular troops employed in the service of such firearms.
5. n. The science which treats of the use and management of ordnance.

Wiktionary

1. n. Large cannon like weapons, transportable and usually operated by more than one person.
2. n. A unit of the army, that uses such weapons.
3. n. Gunnery.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. obsolete Munitions of war; implements for warfare, as slings, bows, and arrows.
2. n. Cannon; great guns; ordnance, including guns, mortars, howitzers, etc., with their equipment of carriages, balls, bombs, and shot of all kinds.
3. n. The men and officers of that branch of the army to which the care and management of artillery are confided.
4. n. The science of artillery or gunnery.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an army unit that uses big guns
2. n. large but transportable armament
3. n. a means of persuading or arguing