muzzle velocity

American  

noun

Ordnance.

1. the speed of a projectile, usually expressed in feet or meters per second, as it leaves the muzzle of a gun.

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muzzle velocity British  

noun

1. the velocity of a projectile as it leaves a firearm's muzzle

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Etymology

Origin of muzzle velocity

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

muzzle velocity

However, if it is given a higher muzzle velocity, vb, its higher speed carries it farther before it hits the ground at point b.

From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016

This is roughly seven times the speed of sound—and about three times the muzzle velocity of a conventional naval gun.

From Economist ● May 7, 2015

They combine the accuracy and added muzzle velocity of a very stable rifle with the firepower of a rapid semiautomatic weapon.

From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2013

The greater the muzzle velocity, the farther away from the mountain the bullet will land.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 4, 2011

With smokeless powder, the French rifle imparts a muzzle velocity of 2,000 feet per second to the bullet, with a range of about 2,400 meters.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 821, September 26, 1891 by Various