shrapnel
[ shrap-nl ]
/ ˈʃræp nl /
noun
Military.
- a hollow projectile containing bullets or the like and a bursting charge, designed to explode before reaching the target, and to set free a shower of missiles.
- such projectiles collectively.
shell fragments.
Nearby words
shpt, shpt., shr., shraddha, shrank, shrapnel, shreadhead, shred, shredded, shredded wheat, shredder
Origin of shrapnel
1800–10; named after Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), English army officer, its inventor
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for shrapnel
British Dictionary definitions for shrapnel
shrapnel
/ (ˈʃræpnəl) /
noun
- a projectile containing a number of small pellets or bullets exploded before impact
- such projectiles collectively
fragments from this or any other type of shell
Word Origin for shrapnel
C19: named after H. Shrapnel (1761–1842), English army officer, who invented it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for shrapnel
shrapnel
1806, from Gen. Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842), who invented a type of exploding, fragmenting shell when he was a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery during the Peninsular War. The invention consisted of a hollow cannon ball, filled with shot, which burst in mid-air; his name for it was spherical case ammunition. Sense of "shell fragments" is first recorded 1940. The surname is attested from 13c., and is believed to be a metathesized form of Charbonnel, a diminutive form of Old French charbon "charcoal," in reference to complexion, hair color, or some other quality.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper