Minié ball

American  

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

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

On top — a Minie ball, or Civil War bullet, and a button that appeared to bear a Virginia seal.

From Washington Post

Miss a minie ball at Gettysburg?

From Slate

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

From Slate

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

Three of the many kinds of weapons used in the war are particularly important: the minie ball, the breech-loading repeating rifle, and the ironclad ship.

From Literature