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ammunition

 - 5 dictionary results

am⋅mu⋅ni⋅tion

  [am-yuh-nish-uhn]
Use ammunition in a Sentence
–noun
1. the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and esp. shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.
2. the means of igniting or exploding such material, as primers, fuzes, and gunpowder.
3. any material, means, weapons, etc., used in any conflict: a crude ammunition of stones.
4. information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim: Give me some ammunition for the debate.
5. Obsolete. any military supplies.
Origin:
1620–30; < MF amonitions, amunitions (pl.) military supplies (a- a- 5 + munition < L; see munition ), or < F la munition, wrongly analyzed as l'amunition
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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am·mu·ni·tion   (ām'yə-nĭsh'ən)   
n.  

  1. Projectiles, such as bullets and shot, together with their fuses and primers, that can be fired from guns or otherwise propelled.

  2. Nuclear, biological, chemical, or explosive material, such as rockets or grenades, that are used as weapons.

  3. An object used as a missile in offense or defense: Rocks were my only ammunition against the bear.

  4. A means of attacking or defending an argument, thesis, or point of view.


[Obsolete French amunition, from l'amunition, the provisioning, alteration of la munition, from Old French, from Latin mūnītiō, mūnītiōn-, fortification; see munition.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
ammunition

  1. n.
    toilet tissue. : Could somebody help me? We're out of ammunition in here!
  2. n.
    liquor. (See also shot.) : He's had about all the ammunition he can hold.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

ammunition 
c.1626, from Fr. soldiers' faulty separation of M.Fr. la munition, from L. munitio "a fortifying," and at first meaning all military supplies in general. The mistake in the word perhaps was by infl. of Fr. a(d)monition "warning." The error was corrected in Fr., but retained in Eng. Shortened form ammo is attested from 1917.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

ammunition

the projectiles and propelling charges used in small arms, artillery, and other guns. Ammunition size is usually expressed in terms of calibre, which is the diameter of the projectile as measured in millimetres or inches. In general, projectiles less than 20 mm or .60 inch in diameter are classified as small-arm, and larger calibres are considered artillery. A complete round of ammunition consists of all the components necessary for one firing of the gun. These normally include a projectile, the propellant, and a primer that ignites the propellant. Other components such as cartridge case, fuze, and bursting charge are frequently included.

Learn more about ammunition with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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