howitzer
howitzer Lexical Profile
howitzer Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A comparatively short-barreled artillery piece designed to fire shells at a steep angle of elevation and moderate velocities, used primarily for hitting targets behind cover.
"The artillery unit carefully positioned the howitzer behind the ridge so they could launch equipment-testing projectiles safely over the mountain."
Word Nuance & Usage
While often grouped generally with cannons and mortars, a howitzer is distinguished by its specific design to fire projectiles on a high, arched trajectory over obstacles, sitting intermediate between the flat trajectory of a cannon and the extremely steep angle of a mortar.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived in the late 17th century from the Dutch 'houwitser', which traces back through the German 'Haubitze' to the Czech 'houfnice', originally referring to a stone-slinging engine or catapult used during the 15th-century Hussite Wars.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.