Minié ball
[min-ee, min-ee-ey; French mee-nyey]
- a conical bullet with a hollow base that expanded when fired, used in the 19th century.
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Origin of Minié ball
1855–60; named after C. E. Minié (1814–79), French officer who invented it
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for minie ball
Historical Examples
He had been killed by a minie-ball squarely through his forehead.
War from the InsideFrederick L. (Frederick Lyman) Hitchcock
He was hit by a minie-ball in the left shoulder, just below the collar-bone.
War from the InsideFrederick L. (Frederick Lyman) Hitchcock
Now, for the first time, I heard the keen whistle of the Minie-ball.
The Story of a Cannoneer Under Stonewall JacksonEdward A. Moore
It was only some of the bark of the tree, which had been dusted into my face by a minie-ball.
The Boy SpyJoseph Kerby
There my tent-mate was wounded by a minie-ball; I was standing by his side when he was hit.
The Empty SleeveHenry H. Meacham
Minié ball
- 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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Word Origin
C19: named after Capt C. E. Minié (1814–1879), French army officer who invented it
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 minie ball
n.
kind of rifle bullet, 1853, named for its inventor, French army officer Claude-Étienne Minié (1814-1879), who designed it 1847-8.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper