trench mortar

/'trentʃ'mɔ:tə/
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Thân thiện
trench mortar

A soldier carefully loads a shell into the trench mortar.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range: A portable, short-barreled artillery piece designed to launch explosive projectiles (mortar bombs) at a steep angle over relatively short distances, typically used in infantry support, especially in trench warfare.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The infantry unit deployed a trench mortar to target the enemy's forward positions.
    • During World War I, the trench mortar became a crucial weapon for attacking trenches.
Advanced Usage
  • Historical Context: The term is strongly associated with early 20th-century warfare, particularly World War I, where its design was optimized for the conditions of trench warfare.
    • The development of the Stokes mortar revolutionized trench mortar design.
Variants and Related Words
  • Mortar (n): The general term for a class of high-angle, muzzle-loading indirect-fire weapons. A "trench mortar" is a specific type of mortar.
    • The platoon carried a 60mm mortar for support.
  • Stokes mortar (n): A specific, widely-used type of trench mortar invented by Sir Wilfred Stokes.
  • Infantry mortar (n): A modern term for portable mortars operated by infantry units, evolving from the trench mortar.
Synonyms
  • Mortar: The most common direct synonym in modern military terminology.
  • Howitzer (n): A different type of artillery that also fires at high angles but is typically larger, longer-barreled, and breech-loading. Not a perfect synonym but shares the high-angle fire characteristic.
Related Phrases
  • Mortar bomb (n): The projectile fired from a trench mortar.
    • They loaded another mortar bomb into the tube.
  • Mortar crew (n): The team operating the trench mortar.
    • The mortar crew quickly set up their position.
Notes on Usage
  • The term "trench mortar" is now somewhat historical or descriptive. In contemporary military language, the weapon is almost always referred to simply as a mortar. "Trench mortar" specifies its original and iconic battlefield role.
trench mortar

A soldier carefully loads a shell into the trench mortar.

Noun
  1. a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range

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