fléchette

[ fley-shet ]
/ fleɪˈʃɛt /

noun, plural flé·chettes [fley-shets; French fley-shet] /fleɪˈʃɛts; French fleɪˈʃɛt/.

Military. a small, dartlike metal projectile used as shrapnel in antipersonnel bombs and shells.
a bullet with a thin, hard metal spine, designed to tumble on impact and thus cause an incapacitating wound.

QUIZZES

FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.
place or source of origin.
a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of fléchette

From French, dating back to 1910–15; see origin at flèche, -ette

Words nearby fléchette

flywhisk, flânerie, flâneur, flèche, flèches d'amour, fléchette, flémalle, flügelhorn, fm, fm cyclotron, fm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for flechette

fléchette
/ (fleɪˈʃɛt) /

noun

a steel dart or missile dropped from an aircraft, as in World War I

Word Origin for fléchette

from French; see flèche
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