Minié ball

American  

[min-ee, min-ee-ey, mee-nyey] / ˈmɪn i, ˈmɪn iˌeɪ, miˈnjeɪ /

noun

1. a conical bullet with a hollow base that expanded when fired, used in the 19th century.

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Minié ball British  

/ ˈmɪnɪˌeɪ, miɲe /

noun

1. a conical rifle bullet, used in the 19th century, manufactured with a hollow base designed to expand when fired to fit the rifling

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Etymology

Origin of Minié ball

1855–60; named after C. E. Minié (1814–79), French officer who invented it

Example Sentences

Invented by the Frenchman Claude-Etienne Minié, the Minié ball was a cone-shaped ball of lead with a hollow base.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2015

Minié ball from hundreds of bullets stashed in front of our counter and wondered whether my grandfather knew what he was signing us up for when he found his first one.

From Time • Jun. 30, 2015

A Minié ball struck him in the lower part of the leg; he coolly stooped down, tied his handkerchief around it, and passed on.

From My Cave Life in Vicksburg With Letters of Trial and Travel by Loughborough, Mary Ann

I could feel the wind stirred by its passage, while its peculiar hum told me it was a Minié ball.

From My Lady of the North by Parrish, Randall

Miraculous to remark, the British Government for once appear to have appreciated a useful invention, and various experiments with the Minié ball were carried on with an energy so unusual as to be startling.

From Lands of the Slave and the Free Cuba, the United States, and Canada by Murray, Henry A.