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.

Noun

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