caisson
a structure used in underwater work, consisting of an airtight chamber, open at the bottom and containing air under sufficient pressure to exclude the water.
a boatlike structure used as a gate for a dock or the like.
Nautical.
a watertight structure built against a damaged area of a hull to render the hull watertight; cofferdam.
a two-wheeled wagon, used for carrying artillery ammunition.
an ammunition chest.
a wooden chest containing bombs or explosives, used formerly as a mine.
Architecture. coffer (def. 4).
Origin of caisson
1Other words from caisson
- caissoned, adjective
Words Nearby caisson
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use caisson in a sentence
The burial ground was empty except for the occasional horse-drawn caisson being pulled through its quiet lanes.
The largest dock is divisible by a central caisson so that four ships can be docked at one time.
The first shot did no execution, but the next struck a caisson and exploded its contents.
Reminiscences of a Rebel | Wayland Fuller DunawayCommanders of batteries will see that their limber and caisson-boxes are filled to their utmost capacity.
Nurse and Spy in the Union Army | S. Emma E. EdmondsThe reserve men cut the gear of the dead horse, dragged his body aside, and replaced him with one of the six from the caisson.
In Hostile Red | Joseph Altsheler
The horses became entangled among the ropes, and stumbled over the gun and caisson, throwing their riders to the earth.
In Hostile Red | Joseph Altsheler
British Dictionary definitions for caisson
/ (kəˈsuːn, ˈkeɪsən) /
a watertight chamber open at the bottom and containing air under pressure, used to carry out construction work under water
a similar unpressurized chamber
a watertight float filled with air, used to raise sunken ships: See also camel (def. 2)
a watertight structure placed across the entrance of a basin, dry dock, etc, to exclude water from it
a box containing explosives, formerly used as a mine
an ammunition chest
a two-wheeled vehicle containing an ammunition chest
another name for coffer (def. 3)
Origin of caisson
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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