artillery
pronunciation
How to pronounce artillery in British English:
UK [ɑːˈtɪləri]
How to pronounce artillery in American English:
US [ɑːrˈtɪləri]
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- Noun:
- large but transportable armament
- an army unit that uses big guns
- a means of persuading or arguing
Word Origin
- artillery
- artillery: [14] Originally artillery meant ‘military supplies, munitions’ (Chaucer used it thus); it was not until the late 15th century that it came to be used for ‘weapons for firing missiles’ – originally catapults, bows, etc. The source of the English word was Old French artillerie, a derivative of the verb artiller ‘equip, arm’. This was an alteration of an earlier form atillier, probably influenced by art, but the ultimate provenance of atillier is not clear.Some etymologists trace it back to a hypothetical Latin verb *apticulāre ‘make fit, adapt’, a derivative of aptus ‘fitting’ (source of English apt and adapt); others regard it as a variant of Old French atirier ‘arrange, equip’ (source of English attire [13]), which was based on tire ‘order, rank’, a noun of Germanic origin, related to Latin deus ‘god’.
- artillery (n.)
- late 14c., "warlike munitions," from Anglo-French artillerie, Old French artillerie (14c.), from artillier "to provide with engines of war" (13c.), which probably is from Medieval Latin articulum "art, skill," diminutive of Latin ars (genitive artis) "art." But some would connect it with Latin articulum "joint," and still others with Old French atillier "to equip," altered by influence of arte. Sense of "engines for discharging missiles" (catapults, slings, bows, etc.) is from late 15c.; that of "ordnance, large guns" is from 1530s.
Example
- 1. Eg. our artillery smashed the enemy defenses .
- 2. He had seen israeli artillery fire white phosphorus shells at gaza city , garlasco said .
- 3. During battle , forward observers identify targets and direct artillery , mortar and aviation fire .
- 4. Later , as inspector of artillery , shrapnel also worked on improvements in howitzers and mortars .
- 5. North korean artillery , after all , has long been positioned within range of seoul 's northern suburbs .