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

See Examples For:

Minié ball

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

The ball-cartridges for rifles and rifled muskets are to be made with a single Minié ball.

From Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition. by United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Ordnance