Hypertext Webster Gateway: "howitzer"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
howitzer
n : a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that
fires shells at high elevations for a short range [syn: {mortar},
{trench mortar}]
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