FIREARMS Meaning and
Definition
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Firearms refer to portable weapons that are designed to discharge projectiles, typically relying on the combustion of propellants contained within a metal or plastic cartridge case. These weapons are categorized as firearms due to their ability to discharge projectiles at high velocities through the force generated by the combustion process. Firearms find widespread use in various contexts such as hunting, self-defense, law enforcement, and military applications.
The basic components of firearms include a barrel, a breech mechanism, a firing mechanism, a magazine or ammunition storage area, and a stock or grip for control and stability. The barrel is designed to direct and control the release of projectiles, while the breech mechanism opens and seals the rear end of the barrel for loading or extracting cartridges. The firing mechanism, which typically consists of a trigger, firing pin, and hammer or striker, initiates the combustion process to propel the projectile out of the firearm.
Firearms can be categorized into different types based on their mechanism of operation, such as manual action (e.g., bolt-action, pump-action), semi-automatic, or fully automatic. Regulations and laws surrounding firearms vary across regions and countries, governing aspects such as ownership, storage, and use in order to ensure safety and prevent misuse.
Overall, firearms are highly influential tools that have shaped human history, warfare, and societal dynamics, carrying both practical and symbolic significance in various cultures and contexts.
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Cannon, rifles, &c.; fire-ball, a meteor resembling a ball of fire passing rapidly through the air; fire-blast, a disease to which the hop-plant is much exposed; fire-box, in a locomotive engine, the box in which the fire is placed; firebrand, a piece of burning wood; an incendiary; one who provokes quarrels; fire-brick and fire-clay, so called from their power of resisting the wasting effects of fire; fire-brigade, an organised body of men for extinguishing conflagrations in towns; fire-damp, the inflammable gas which gathers in coal-mines; fire-eater, one who pretends to eat fire; a fighting character; fire-engine, a machine for throwing water to extinguish fire; fire-escape, an apparatus for the escape of persons from the upper flats or floors of buildings when the lower are on fire; firefly, a name given to those insects which have the property of emitting a luminous secretion; fire-guard, a wire fencing in front of a fireplace; fire-irons, the poker, shovel, and tongs.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
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Etymology of FIREARMS
The word "firearms" derives from the Middle French term "feuer-armes", which literally means "fire-arms" or "fire weapons". This Middle French term was formed by combining the words "feuer" (fire) and "armes" (arms or weapons). The word "firearm" first emerged in the English language during the late 16th century, and it referred to any portable weapon that used gunpowder to propel a projectile, such as cannons, muskets, and eventually handguns. The term has since come to specifically refer to small arms designed for individual use, such as rifles and pistols.
Similar spelling words for FIREARMS
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