Dictionary

gunnery en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈɡʌn.əɹ.i/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰéntis Proto-Germanic *gunþiz Old Norse gunnr Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂tís Proto-Germanic *hildiz Old Norse hildr Old Norse Gunnhildrder. Middle English gunne English gun Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārius Old French -ier Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ie Old French -eriebor. Middle English -erie English -ery English gunnery From gun + -ery.

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) The science of guns and gunfire, including aspects of bullet flight and impact.
   • When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery— / When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery,— 1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, “I am the very pattern of a modern major-general”, in The Pirates of Penzance […], Philadelphia: J.M. Stoddart & Co., published 1880, →OCLC, page 17:
2. (uncountable, usually) The design and manufacture of guns, particularly those of a large caliber.
   • Originally, doubtless, that petty officer's function was the instruction of the men in the use of arms, sword, or cutlass. But very long ago, owing to the advance in gunnery, making hand-to-hand encounters less frequent, and giving to nitre and sulphur the preeminence over steel, that function ceased [...] 1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter VII.”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC, page 244:
3. (uncountable, usually) The firing of guns.
   • Northward incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles, / Far off, like a dull rumour of some other war. 1920, Wilfred Owen, “Exposure”, in Poems, London: Chatto & Windus, page 18:
   • The 12th march company telephoned claiming that someone in the office had heard that they were waiting to do some shooting practice at moveable targets and that they would only leave after gunnery practice under front conditions. 1973, Jaroslav Hašek, chapter 5, in Cecil Parrott, transl., The Good Soldier Švejk, London: William Heinemann, page 438:
   • Basically, the problem was actually the British had too many ships! The Grand Fleet wasn't half bad with its gunnery, but there was so many battleships throwing fire at the battlecruisers and battleships of the High Seas Fleet that it was actually very difficult to tell "Is that splash from us? Is that splash from that ship? Is that splash from a ship in another division? We don't know!", so a lot of incorrect estimates and measures were taken, which lead to an awful lot of waterspouts going up, but not anywhere near the number of hits that you would otherwise expect[…] 2021 May 2, Drachinifel, 3:59:19 from the start, in The Drydock - Episode 144, archived from the original on 26 Sep 2022:
4. (countable, usually) A place where guns are tested, or where people are trained in their use.

Forms

Deriveds

gunnery range · gunnery sergeant · master gunnery sergeant

Relateds

artillery

Translations (11)

cs kanonáda (firing of guns) · cs dělostřelectví (design and manufacture of guns) · bn গোলন্দাজী (firing of guns) · fi ampumaoppi (science) · fi asesuunnittelu (design and manufacture of guns) · fi ammunta (firing of guns) · bn গোলন্দাজী (science) · cs dělostřelba (science) · cs dělostřelba (firing of guns) · cs střelba (firing of guns) · cs dělostřelectví (science)