ordnance
English
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. Doublet of ordonnance.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ôrdʹnəns, IPA(key): /ˈɔːdnəns/
Audio (UK) (file)
- (US) enPR: ôrdʹnəns, IPA(key): /ˈɔɹdnəns/, sometimes /ˈɔɹdɪnəns/
- Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)dnəns
- Homophone: ordinance (some pronunciations)
Noun
ordnance (countable and uncountable, plural ordnances)
- Military equipment, especially weapons and ammunition.
- 1624, John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVI., in The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne, ed. Charles M. Coffin, New York: Modern Library (1952), pp. 438-40:
- When the Turkes took Constantinople, they melted the Bells into Ordnance; I have heard both Bells and Ordnance, but never been so much affected with those, as with these Bells.
- 1624, John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVI., in The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne, ed. Charles M. Coffin, New York: Modern Library (1952), pp. 438-40:
- Artillery.
Usage notes
- Sometimes spelled and pronounced with three syllables, as ordinance, but this is proscribed.
Derived terms
- Ordnance Survey
Related terms
- ordain
- order
- ordinal
- ordinance, ordnance
- ordinary
- ordinate
- ordination
- ordo
With prefixes
- coordinate, coordination
- foreordination
- insubordination
- postordination
- preordination
- reordination
- subordinate, subordination
- subordination
- superordination
Translations
military equipment
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arms and ammunition
|
artillery
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