Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Large-caliber weapons, such as cannon, howitzers, and missile launchers, that are operated by crews.
- noun The branch of an army that specializes in the use of such weapons.
- noun The science of the use of guns; gunnery.
- noun Weapons, such as catapults, arbalests, and other early devices, used for discharging missiles.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Implements of war: in this sense formerly with a plural.
- noun In particular Engines for discharging missiles, as catapults, bows, crossbows, slings, etc.
- noun In modern use, properly, all firearms discharged from carriages, in contradistinction to small arms, which are discharged from the hand; cannon; ordnance.
- noun Hence The particular troops employed in the service of such firearms.
- noun The science which treats of the use and management of ordnance.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete Munitions of war; implements for warfare, as slings, bows, and arrows.
- noun Cannon; great guns; ordnance, including guns, mortars, howitzers, etc., with their equipment of carriages, balls, bombs, and shot of all kinds.
- noun The men and officers of that branch of the army to which the care and management of artillery are confided.
- noun The science of artillery or gunnery.
- noun The place where the artillery is encamped or collected.
- noun a number of pieces of ordnance mounted on carriages, with all their furniture, ready for marching.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Large cannon like weapons, transportable and usually operated by more than one person.
- noun A unit of the army, that uses such weapons.
- noun
Gunnery .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an army unit that uses big guns
- noun large but transportable armament
- noun a means of persuading or arguing
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Then there was an ugly confrontation between members of the battalion's Alpha and Charlie batteries -- the term artillery units use instead of "companies" -- that threatened to turn into a brawl involving three dozen soldiers, and required the base police to intervene.
Archive 2004-09-01 CC 2004
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Then there was an ugly confrontation between members of the battalion's Alpha and Charlie batteries -- the term artillery units use instead of "companies" -- that threatened to turn into a brawl involving three dozen soldiers, and required the base police to intervene.
Canadian Cynic CC 2004
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The programme of our artillery is a very wonderful one.
War Impressions 1918
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Then there was an ugly confrontation between members of the battalion’s Alpha and Charlie batteries — the term artillery units use instead of “companies” — that threatened to turn into a brawl involving three dozen soldiers, and required the base police to intervene.
Archive 2004-09-01 2004
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Having regard to the restrictions on an occupying power imposed by international law, minimum force must be used, the use of air power and artillery is to be avoided, the action should be primarily “boots on the ground”.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Israeli Version of Ship Incident 2010
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Having regard to the restrictions on an occupying power imposed by international law, minimum force must be used, the use of air power and artillery is to be avoided, the action should be primarily “boots on the ground”.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Israeli Version of Ship Incident 2010
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You better keep your head in your * ss then so that artillery is properly corked!
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Having regard to the restrictions on an occupying power imposed by international law, minimum force must be used, the use of air power and artillery is to be avoided, the action should be primarily “boots on the ground”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Israeli Version of Ship Incident 2010
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(Hint: The reason that you can do ballistic shelling with artillery is that the round is much heavier and is operated on by air resistance and aerodynamic forces much less than the much lighter rifle round and the even lighter pistol round.)
Think Progress » Obama bumper sticker fuels violent political road rage in Tennessee. 2010
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Mr. Brooks is, in all likelihood, immune to the artillery from the right since he's viewed with suspicion already; he writes for the New York Times, fer chrissake, and contributes to NPR.
Had Enough? 2009
chained_bear commented on the word artillery
Captured at Yorktown: 2 regiments of artillery, including "60 pieces brass cannon, 150 iron ditto (meaning "the same")," and the men who operated them (number not enumerated separately, though included in the total of about 7,900).
October 29, 2007