shrapnel

views updated Jun 11 2018

shrap·nel / ˈshrapnəl/ • n. fragments of a bomb, shell, or other object thrown out by an explosion.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

shrapnel

views updated May 29 2018

shrapnel shell that bursts scattering bullets. XIX (S. shell). f. name of General Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), who invented this shell during the Peninsular War.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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