SHRAPNEL
shrapnel
(noun) shell containing lead pellets that explodes in flight
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
shrapnel (usually uncountable, plural shrapnels)
(historical) An anti-personnel artillery shell used in WWI which carries a large number of individual bullets close to the target and then ejects them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually.
A collective term for shot, fragments, or debris thrown out by an exploding shell, bomb or landmine.
(slang) Loose change.
Debris.
Source: Wiktionary
Shrap"nel, a.
Definition: Applied as an appellation to a kind of shell invented by Gen. H. Shrapnel of the British army.
– n.
Definition: A shrapnel shell; shrapnel shells, collectively. Shrapnel shell (Gunnery), a projectile for a cannon, consisting of a shell filled with bullets and a small bursting charge to scatter them at any given point while in flight. See the Note under Case shot.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
12 January 2025
HABIT
(noun) (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; “owls have nocturnal habits”; “she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”; “long use had hardened him to it”
Do you know this game?
Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins