howitzer

2 definitions found

howitzer - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Howitzer \How"itz*er\, n. [G. haubitze, formerly hauffnitz,
     Bohem. haufnice, orig., a sling.] (Mil.)
     (a) A gun so short that the projectile, which was hollow,
         could be put in its place by hand; a kind of mortar.
         [Obs.]
     (b) A short, light, largebore cannon, usually having a
         chamber of smaller diameter than the rest of the bore,
         and intended to throw large projectiles with
         comparatively small charges.
         [1913 Webster]

howitzer - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  howitzer
      n 1: a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that
           fires shells at high elevations for a short range [syn:
           mortar, howitzer, trench mortar]