cartridge

American  

[kahr-trij] / ˈkɑr trɪdʒ /

noun

1. Also called cartouche.  a cylindrical case of pasteboard, metal, or the like, for holding a complete charge of powder, and often also the bullet or the shot for a rifle, machine gun, or other small arm.

2. a case containing any explosive charge, as for blasting.

3. any small container for powder, liquid, or gas, made for ready insertion into some device or mechanism.

   an ink cartridge for a pen.

4. Also called magazine.  Photography. a lightproof metal or plastic container for a roll of film, usually containing both the supply and take-up spools, as well as a pressure plate, for rapid loading without the necessity of threading the film.

5. Audio. pickup.

6. a flat, compact container enclosing an endless loop of audiotape, operated by inserting into a slot in a player.

---

cartridge British  

/ ˈkɑːtrɪdʒ /

noun

1. a cylindrical, usually metal casing containing an explosive charge and often a bullet, for a rifle or other small arms

2. a case for an explosive, such as a blasting charge

3. an electromechanical transducer in the pick-up of a record player, usually either containing a piezoelectric crystal ( crystal cartridge ) or an electromagnet ( magnetic cartridge )

4. a container for magnetic tape that is inserted into a tape deck in audio or video systems. It is about four times the size of a cassette

5. Also called: cassette.   magazine.  photog a light-tight film container that enables a camera to be loaded and unloaded in normal light

6. computing a removable unit in a printer which contains black or coloured ink

7. computing a removable unit in a computer, such as an integrated circuit, containing software

---

Etymology

Origin of cartridge

1570–80; earlier cartage, cartrage, alteration of cartouche

Example Sentences

The factory site has a long military tradition, having made equipment for the Nazi army, then cartridges for the communist regime.

From Barron's

The couple are seen side by side in period costume, as Anna hands John a cartridge to reload his musket.

From The Wall Street Journal

Key evidence, like cartridges, were discovered at the scene, according to the police.

From BBC

To validate the technology, the researchers sent DASH® analyzers and DASH® HCV cartridges to colleagues at Johns Hopkins University.

From Science Daily

Clad in military fatigues and armed with rifles loaded with blank cartridges, members of the Lithuanian Rifleman’s Union, or LRU, a state-funded paramilitary group, spent several days training to repel a possible enemy attack.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bullet
• cassette
• cylinder
• tube