breech

[ noun breech; verb breech, brich ]

/ noun britʃ; verb britʃ, brɪtʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR breech ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the lower, rear part of the trunk of the body; buttocks.

the hinder or lower part of anything.

Ordnance. the rear part of the bore of a gun, especially the opening and associated mechanism that permits insertion of a projectile.

Machinery. the end of a block or pulley farthest from the supporting hook or eye.

Nautical. the outside angle of a knee in the frame of a ship.

verb (used with object)

Ordnance. to fit or furnish (a gun) with a breech.

to clothe with breeches.

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Origin of breech

First recorded before 1000; Middle English breeche, Old English brēc, plural of brōc; cognate with Old Norse brōk, Old High German bruoh

OTHER WORDS FROM breech

un·breeched, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH breech

breach, breech .

Words nearby breech

brede, bredie, bred-in-the-bone, bredren, bree, breech, breech baby, breech birth, breechblock, breechcloth, breech delivery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for breech

This is exactly the breech into which progressive women should step.
Dems Need a Bachmann!|Gloria Feldt|September 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He didn't say anything, but he set his teeth, squinted along the sights of his gun, and touched a button in the breech.
The World Masters|George Griffith
Stands at the right and beside the breech; opens same after firing so shell can be taken out.
A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee"|Russell Doubleday
Once more he threw open the breech and loaded—and fired, though by this time the bok were seven or eight hundred yards away.
Off to the Wilds|George Manville Fenn

The gas-lever returning forces the cartridge home in the barrel and closes and locks the breech.
The Romance of Modern Invention|Archibald Williams
Five minutes later there was a loud report, and the breech had been blown to atoms and the rifling destroyed.
With Rifle and Bayonet|F.S. Brereton

British Dictionary definitions for breech

breech

noun (briːtʃ)

the lower dorsal part of the human trunk; buttocks; rump

the lower part or bottom of somethingthe breech of the bridge

the lower portion of a pulley block, esp the part to which the rope or chain is secured

the part of a firearm behind the barrel or bore

obstetrics short for breech delivery

verb (briːtʃ, brɪtʃ) (tr)

to fit (a gun) with a breech

archaic to clothe in breeches or any other clothing

Word Origin for breech

Old English brēc, plural of brōc leg covering; related to Old Norse brōk, Old High German bruoh

usage for breech

Breech is sometimes wrongly used as a verb where breach is meant: the barrier/agreement was breached (not breeched)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for breech

breech

[ brēch ]

n.

The lower rear portion of the human trunk; the buttocks.

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breech