weapons of mass destruction
- nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons that can cause indiscriminate death or injury on a large scaleAbbreviation: WMD
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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 weapons of mass destruction
n.
"nuclear, biological and chemical weapons" attested by 1946, apparently first used (in Russian) by the Soviets.
The terms "weapons of mass destruction" and "WMD" mean chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and chemical, biological, and nuclear materials used in the manufacture of such weapons. [United States Code: Title 50, "War and National Defense," chapter 43, § 2902, 2009]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
weapons of mass destruction
Weapons that can produce devastating results when delivered in a single strike. They include nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.
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Note
One of the great challenges of the twenty-first century will be to constrain the proliferation and use of such weapons, especially by terrorists (see terrorism).
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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