Definition

Noun: * A Maxim gun: An obsolete, water-cooled machine gun with a single barrel. It was the first fully automatic, recoil-operated firearm, invented by Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1884. It is historically significant for its use in colonial warfare and World War I.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The colonial forces used the Maxim gun to devastating effect.
  • The invention of the Maxim gun revolutionized modern warfare.
  • Museums often display a Maxim gun as a key artifact from the early 20th century.

Advanced Usage

• "to be armed with a Maxim gun": To be equipped with this specific type of weapon.
  • The outpost was defended by soldiers armed with a Maxim gun.
• Used historically to symbolize the technological and military advantage of Western imperial powers.
  • The phrase "Whatever happens, we have got / The Maxim gun, and they have not" from a 19th-century poem highlights this symbolic meaning.

Variants and Related Words

• Machine gun (n): The general category of automatic firearms to which the Maxim gun belongs.
• Gatling gun (n): An earlier, hand-cranked rapid-fire weapon that is often compared to or contrasted with the Maxim gun.

Synonyms

• Automatic weapon
• Machine gun (general term)

Notes on Meaning

• The term specifically refers to the original design by Hiram Maxim and its direct variants. It is not a generic term for all machine guns.
• Its defining characteristics are its single barrel, water-cooling jacket, and use of recoil energy to automate the firing cycle. The word "obsolete" in its definition is key, as it is no longer in standard military use.

Noun

1. an obsolete water-cooled machine gun having a single barrel