artillery
UK /ɑːˈtɪləɹi/ · US /ɑɹˈtɪləɹi/ noun
Forms artilleries
- noun Large projectile weapons, in modern usage usually large guns, but also rocket artillery.
- noun An army unit that uses such weapons, or a military formation using projectile weapons, such as archers.
- noun Gunnery (design and manufacture of guns).
- noun (archaic) Weapons, especially siege engines.
- noun (UK, Ireland, slang) One or more guns.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English artillerie, from Old French artillerie (“collection of military engines, crossbows, lances etc.”), from artillier (“to equip, provide with contraptions”), alteration of atiller (“to arrange, adjust, put on clothes or, especially, pieces of armour”) (influenced by art), itself from Vulgar Latin *apticlō < **apticulō, from Latin aptō (“to make capable”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Munitions of war; implements for warfare, as slings, bows, and arrows. [Obs.]
- noun Cannon; great guns; ordnance, including guns, mortars, howitzers, etc., with their equipment of carriages, balls, bombs, and shot of all kinds.
Etymology [OE. artilrie, OF. artillerie, arteillerie, fr. LL. artillaria, artilleria, machines and apparatus of all kinds used in war, vans laden with arms of any kind which follow camps; F. artillerie great guns, ordnance; OF. artillier to work artifice, to fortify, to arm, prob. from L. ars, artis, skill in joining something, art. See Art.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “artillery”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details