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turret

 - 3 dictionary results

tur⋅ret

  [tur-it, tuhr-]
Use turret in a Sentence
–noun
1. a small tower, usually one forming part of a larger structure.
2. a small tower at an angle of a building, as of a castle or fortress, frequently beginning some distance above the ground.
3. Also called tur⋅ret⋅head  [tur-it-hed, tuhr-] . a pivoted attachment on a lathe or the like for holding a number of tools, each of which can be presented to the work in rapid succession by a simple rotating movement.
4. Military. a domelike, sometimes heavily armored structure, usually revolving horizontally, within which guns are mounted, as on a fortification, ship, or aircraft.
5. Fortification. a tall structure, usually moved on wheels, formerly employed in breaching or scaling a fortified place, a wall, or the like.
Origin:
1300–50; ME turet < MF turete, equiv. to tur tower + -ete -et

Related forms:
tur⋅ret⋅less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To turret
tur·ret   (tûr'ĭt, tŭr'-)   
n.  

  1. A small tower or tower-shaped projection on a building.

    1. A low, heavily armored structure, usually rotating horizontally, containing mounted guns and their gunners or crew, as on a warship or tank.

    2. A domelike gunner's enclosure projecting from the fuselage of a combat aircraft.

  3. A tall wooden structure mounted on wheels and used in ancient warfare by besiegers to scale the walls of an enemy fortress.

  4. An attachment for a lathe consisting of a rotating cylindrical block holding various cutting tools.

  5. A rotating device holding various lenses, as for a microscope, allowing easy switching from one lens to another.


[Middle English turet, from Old French torete, diminutive of tor, tower; see tower.]
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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Word Origin & History

turret 
c.1300, "small tower," from O.Fr. touret (12c.), dim. of tour "tower," from L. turris (see tower). Meaning "low, flat gun-tower on a warship" is recorded from 1862, later also of tanks.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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