Maxim gun

noun

1. an early single-barreled, water-cooled machine gun cocked by the force of its own recoil.

Maxim gun

/ ˈmæksɪm /

noun

1. an obsolete water-cooled machine gun having a single barrel and utilizing the recoil force of each shot to maintain automatic fire

Word History and Origins

Origin of Maxim gun¹

First recorded in 1880–85; after H. S. Maxim

Word History and Origins

Origin of Maxim gun¹

C19: named after Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (1840–1916), its US-born British inventor