howitzer

[hou-it-ser]

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noun Ordnance.

a cannon having a comparatively short barrel, used especially for firing shells at a high angle of elevation, as for reaching a target behind cover or in a trench.

Nearby words

Origin of howitzer

1685–95; earlier hauwitzer < Dutch houvietser, equivalent to houviets- (< German Haubitze, Middle High German haufnitz < Czech houfnice slingshot) + -er -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for howitzer

The convoy included more than 40 tankers and trucks--19 of those were each towing a 122mm howitzer.
Thousands of Putin’s Troops Now in Ukraine, Analysts Say|Shane Harris|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
ISIS forces had come so close to Erbil that the city was in range of the Howitzer artillery cannons that ISIS possesses.
McCain Calls Obama's 'Pinprick' Iraq Strikes 'Meaningless' and 'Almost Worse Than Nothing'|Josh Rogin|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These include, among other things, some 1,500 Humvees and 52 Howitzer artillery guns, which have a range of up to 20 miles.
The ISIS Caliphate’s Frightening First Month|Charlie Winter|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fortunately, by then he was in England carrying a steno pad, not in Tunisia hauling a howitzer.
The Story of the American Journalists Who Landed on D-Day|Timothy M. Gay|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST

The major sheathed his head again, as he knew that another shot from the howitzer might soon be expected.
The Rifle Rangers|Captain Mayne Reid
The howitzer, therefore, is a short gun, firing a heavy shell at high angles of elevation.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6|Various
I don't believe there is a man living who, when first interviewing an 11-inch howitzer shell, is not pink with funk.
Current History, A Monthly Magazine|New York Times
We passed behind our yesterday's friend, the howitzer battery, but at a more respectful distance from the enemy's battery.
Letters from Mesopotamia|Robert Palmer
With that we turned our backs and made off, dashing along in some disorder and leaving the howitzer behind.
The Cryptogram|William Murray Graydon

British Dictionary definitions for howitzer

howitzer

noun

a cannon having a short or medium barrel with a low muzzle velocity and a steep angle of fire

Word Origin for howitzer

C16: from Dutch houwitser, from German Haubitze, from Czech houfnice stone-sling

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

Word Origin and History for howitzer

howitzer

1680s, via Dutch houwitser (1660s), German Haubitze from Bohemian houfnice "a catapult," from houf "heap, crowd," a loan-word from Middle High German hufe "heap." Introduced to German during the Hussite wars, 14c.

howitzer

noun Ordnance.

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Nearby words

Origin of howitzer

Examples from the Web for howitzer

howitzer

noun

Word Origin for howitzer

howitzer