breechblock

or breech-block

[ breech-blok ]

/ ˈbritʃˌblɒk /

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noun Ordnance.

a movable piece of metal for closing the breech in certain firearms.

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Origin of breechblock

First recorded in 1880–85; breech + block

Words nearby breechblock

bredren, bree, breech, breech baby, breech birth, breechblock, breechcloth, breech delivery, breeches, breeches buoy, breeches part

How to use breechblock in a sentence

In the bore, pent in by the polished breechblock, is a cartridge which has failed in its duty.
A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee"|Russell Doubleday
Breechblock—a movable piece which closes the breech of a cannon.
Artillery Through the Ages|Albert Manucy

British Dictionary definitions for breechblock

breechblock

/ (ˈbriːtʃˌblɒk) /

noun

a metal block in breech-loading firearms that is withdrawn to insert the cartridge and replaced to close the breech before firing

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