fléchette
Americannoun
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Military. a small, dartlike metal projectile used as shrapnel in antipersonnel bombs and shells.
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a bullet with a thin, hard metal spine, designed to tumble on impact and thus cause an incapacitating wound.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fléchette
From French, dating back to 1910–15; see origin at flèche, -ette
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.
These projectiles, called fléchettes, are rarely seen or used in modern conflict, experts have said.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2022
Volodymyr Fito, a spokesperson for Ukrainian land forces command, said the Ukrainian military does not use shells with fléchettes.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2022
At three centimeters in length, these fléchettes look like tiny arrows.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2022
The fléchettes recovered from Chmut’s yard probably came from a 122 mm 3Sh1 artillery round, he said, which is among a few Russian munitions that carry the projectiles.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 18, 2022
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.