breech
Americannoun
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the lower, rear part of the trunk of the body; buttocks.
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the hinder or lower part of anything.
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Ordnance. the rear part of the bore of a gun, especially the opening and associated mechanism that permits insertion of a projectile.
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Machinery. the end of a block or pulley farthest from the supporting hook or eye.
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Nautical. the outside angle of a knee in the frame of a ship.
verb (used with object)
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Ordnance. to fit or furnish (a gun) with a breech.
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to clothe with breeches.
noun
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the lower dorsal part of the human trunk; buttocks; rump
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the lower part or bottom of something
the breech of the bridge
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the lower portion of a pulley block, esp the part to which the rope or chain is secured
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the part of a firearm behind the barrel or bore
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obstetrics short for breech delivery
verb
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to fit (a gun) with a breech
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archaic to clothe in breeches or any other clothing
Usage
Breech is sometimes wrongly used as a verb where breach is meant: the barrier/agreement was breached (not breeched )
Other Word Forms
- unbreeched adjective
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She said she was aware of another case where a private scan late in pregnancy did not record the baby was still breech or lying bottom first in the uterus.
From BBC
This is known as a breech birth and is rare.
From BBC
In a police report reviewed by The Times, the patient described going to a gynecologist in 2020 to have him “flip” a breech baby.
From Los Angeles Times
But the court heard that despite a 31-week scan recording the baby as completely breech, three subsequent midwife examinations recorded it as being in a head down, cephalic position.
From BBC
A mother has been reunited with the medics dispatched to her home when she started to deliver her breech baby.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
