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Webster 1913 Edition

Ordnance

Ord′nance

,
Noun.
[From OE.
ordenance
, referring orig. to the bore or size of the cannon. See
Ordinance
.]
Heavy weapons of warfare; cannon, or great guns, mortars, and howitzers; artillery; sometimes, a general term for all weapons, ammunitiion, and appliances used in war.
All the battlements their
ordnance
fire.
Shakespeare
Then you may hear afar off the awful roar of his [Rufus Choate’s] rifled
ordnance
.
E. Everett.
Ordnance survey
,
the official survey of Great Britain and Ireland, conducted by the ordnance department.

Webster 1828 Edition

Ordnance

ORD'NANCE

,
Noun.
[from ordinance.] Cannon or great guns, mortars and howitzers; artillery.

Definition 2024

ordnance

ordnance

English

Noun

ordnance ‎(plural ordnances)

  1. military equipment, especially weapons and ammunition.
  2. artillery.

Usage notes

The British Ordnance Survey, now a civilian agency, retains its name from its origin as a military topographic survey of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars.

This word is often confused with ordinance, which is a law or legal statute.

Related terms

  • unexploded ordnance

Translations

Etymology

A reduced form of ordinance, which is attested from the late 14th century in the sense of "military equipment or provisions". The sense of "artillery" arises in the early 15th century, the sense "military logistics" in the late 15th century. The shortened form ordnance arises by the 17th century, now distinct in meaning from the surviving meanings of ordinance.

Pronunciation

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