Result from Foreign Dictionaries (5 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Gun \Gun\ (g[u^]n), n. [OE. gonne, gunne; of uncertain origin; cf. Ir., Gael., & LL. gunna, W. gum; possibly (like cannon) fr. L. canna reed, tube; or abbreviated fr. OF. mangonnel, E. mangonel, a machine for hurling stones.] 1. A weapon which throws or propels a missile to a distance; any firearm or instrument for throwing projectiles, consisting of a tube or barrel closed at one end, in which the projectile is placed, with an explosive charge (such as guncotton or gunpowder) behind, which is ignited by various means. Pistols, rifles, carbines, muskets, and fowling pieces are smaller guns, for hand use, and are called {small arms}. Larger guns are called {cannon}, {ordnance}, {fieldpieces}, {carronades}, {howitzers}, etc. See these terms in the Vocabulary. [1913 Webster] As swift as a pellet out of a gunne When fire is in the powder runne. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] The word gun was in use in England for an engine to cast a thing from a man long before there was any gunpowder found out. --Selden. [1913 Webster] 2. (Mil.) A piece of heavy ordnance; in a restricted sense, a cannon. [1913 Webster] 3. pl. (Naut.) Violent blasts of wind. [1913 Webster] Note: Guns are classified, according to their construction or manner of loading as {rifled} or {smoothbore}, {breech-loading} or {muzzle-loading}, {cast} or {built-up guns}; or according to their use, as {field}, {mountain}, {prairie}, {seacoast}, and {siege guns}. [1913 Webster] {Armstrong gun}, a wrought iron breech-loading cannon named after its English inventor, Sir William Armstrong. {Big gun} or {Great gun}, a piece of heavy ordnance; hence (Fig.), a person superior in any way; as, bring in the big guns to tackle the problem. {Gun barrel}, the barrel or tube of a gun. {Gun carriage}, the carriage on which a gun is mounted or moved. {Gun cotton} (Chem.), a general name for a series of explosive nitric ethers of cellulose, obtained by steeping cotton in nitric and sulphuric acids. Although there are formed substances containing nitric acid radicals, yet the results exactly resemble ordinary cotton in appearance. It burns without ash, with explosion if confined, but quietly and harmlessly if free and open, and in small quantity. Specifically, the lower nitrates of cellulose which are insoluble in ether and alcohol in distinction from the highest (pyroxylin) which is soluble. See {Pyroxylin}, and cf. {Xyloidin}. The gun cottons are used for blasting and somewhat in gunnery: for making celluloid when compounded with camphor; and the soluble variety (pyroxylin) for making collodion. See {Celluloid}, and {Collodion}. Gun cotton is frequenty but improperly called {nitrocellulose}. It is not a nitro compound, but an ester of nitric acid. {Gun deck}. See under {Deck}. {Gun fire}, the time at which the morning or the evening gun is fired. {Gun metal}, a bronze, ordinarily composed of nine parts of copper and one of tin, used for cannon, etc. The name is also given to certain strong mixtures of cast iron. {Gun port} (Naut.), an opening in a ship through which a cannon's muzzle is run out for firing. {Gun tackle} (Naut.), the blocks and pulleys affixed to the side of a ship, by which a gun carriage is run to and from the gun port. {Gun tackle purchase} (Naut.), a tackle composed of two single blocks and a fall. --Totten. {Krupp gun}, a wrought steel breech-loading cannon, named after its German inventor, Herr Krupp. {Machine gun}, a breech-loading gun or a group of such guns, mounted on a carriage or other holder, and having a reservoir containing cartridges which are loaded into the gun or guns and fired in rapid succession. In earlier models, such as the {Gatling gun}, the cartridges were loaded by machinery operated by turning a crank. In modern versions the loading of cartidges is accomplished by levers operated by the recoil of the explosion driving the bullet, or by the pressure of gas within the barrel. Several hundred shots can be fired in a minute by such weapons, with accurate aim. The {Gatling gun}, {Gardner gun}, {Hotchkiss gun}, and {Nordenfelt gun}, named for their inventors, and the French {mitrailleuse}, are machine guns. {To blow great guns} (Naut.), to blow a gale. See {Gun}, n., 3. [1913 Webster +PJC] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: field \field\ (f[=e]ld), n. [OE. feld, fild, AS. feld; akin to D. veld, G. feld, Sw. f[aum]lt, Dan. felt, Icel. fold field of grass, AS. folde earth, land, ground, OS. folda.] 1. Cleared land; land suitable for tillage or pasture; cultivated ground; the open country. [1913 Webster] 2. A piece of land of considerable size; esp., a piece inclosed for tillage or pasture. [1913 Webster] Fields which promise corn and wine. --Byron. [1913 Webster] 3. A place where a battle is fought; also, the battle itself. [1913 Webster] In this glorious and well-foughten field. --Shak. [1913 Webster] What though the field be lost? --Milton. [1913 Webster] 4. An open space; an extent; an expanse. Esp.: (a) Any blank space or ground on which figures are drawn or projected. (b) The space covered by an optical instrument at one view; as, wide-field binoculars. [1913 Webster + PJC] Without covering, save yon field of stars. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Ask of yonder argent fields above. --Pope. [1913 Webster] 5. (Her.) The whole surface of an escutcheon; also, so much of it is shown unconcealed by the different bearings upon it. See Illust. of {Fess}, where the field is represented as gules (red), while the fess is argent (silver). [1913 Webster] 6. An unresticted or favorable opportunity for action, operation, or achievement; province; room. [1913 Webster] Afforded a clear field for moral experiments. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster] 7. (Sports) An open, usually flat, piece of land on which a sports contest is played; a playing field; as, a football field; a baseball field. Syn: playing field, athletic field, playing area. [PJC] 8. Specifically: (Baseball) That part of the grounds reserved for the players which is outside of the diamond; -- called also {outfield}. [1913 Webster] 9. A geographic region (land or sea) which has some notable feature, activity or valuable resource; as, the diamond fields of South Africa; an oil field; a gold field; an ice field. [WordNet 1.6] 10. A facility having an airstrip where airplanes can take off and land; an airfield. Syn: airfield, landing field, flying field, aerodrome. [WordNet 1.6] 11. A collective term for all the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or for all except the favorites in the betting. [1913 Webster] 12. A branch of knowledge or sphere of activity; especially, a learned or professional discipline; as, she's an expert in the field of geology; in what field did she get her doctorate?; they are the top company in the field of entertainment. Syn: discipline, subject, subject area, subject field, field of study, study, branch of knowledge. [WordNet 1.6] Note: Within the master text files of this electronic dictionary, where a word is used in a specific sense in some specialized field of knowledge, that field is indicated by the tags: () preceding that sense of the word. [PJC] 13. A location, usually outdoors, away from a studio or office or library or laboratory, where practical work is done or data is collected; as, anthropologists do much of their work in the field; the paleontologist is in the field collecting specimens. Usually used in the phrase {in the field}. [WordNet 1.6] 14. (Physics) The influence of a physical object, such as an electrically charged body, which is capable of exerting force on objects at a distance; also, the region of space over which such an influence is effective; as, the earth's gravitational field; an electrical field; a magnetic field; a force field. [PJC] 15. (Math.) A set of elements within which operations can be defined analagous to the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on the real numbers; within such a set of elements addition and multiplication are commutative and associative and multiplication is distributive over addition and there are two elements 0 and 1; a commutative division ring; as, the set of all rational numbers is a field. [WordNet 1.6] Note: Field is often used adjectively in the sense of belonging to, or used in, the fields; especially with reference to the operations and equipments of an army during a campaign away from permanent camps and fortifications. In most cases such use of the word is sufficiently clear; as, field battery; field fortification; field gun; field hospital, etc. A field geologist, naturalist, etc., is one who makes investigations or collections out of doors. A survey uses a field book for recording field notes, i.e., measurment, observations, etc., made in field work (outdoor operations). A farmer or planter employs field hands, and may use a field roller or a field derrick. Field sports are hunting, fishing, athletic games, etc. [1913 Webster] {Coal field} (Geol.) See under {Coal}. {Field artillery}, light ordnance mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army. {Field basil} (Bot.), a plant of the Mint family ({Calamintha Acinos}); -- called also {basil thyme}. {Field colors} (Mil.), small flags for marking out the positions for squadrons and battalions; camp colors. {Field cricket} (Zool.), a large European cricket ({Gryllus campestric}), remarkable for its loud notes. {Field day}. (a) A day in the fields. (b) (Mil.) A day when troops are taken into the field for instruction in evolutions. --Farrow. (c) A day of unusual exertion or display; a gala day. {Field driver}, in New England, an officer charged with the driving of stray cattle to the pound. {Field duck} (Zool.), the little bustard ({Otis tetrax}), found in Southern Europe. {Field glass}. (Optics) (a) A binocular telescope of compact form; a lorgnette; a race glass. (b) A small achromatic telescope, from 20 to 24 inches long, and having 3 to 6 draws. (c) See {Field lens}. {Field lark}. (Zool.) (a) The skylark. (b) The tree pipit. {Field lens} (Optics), that one of the two lenses forming the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope or compound microscope which is nearer the object glass; -- called also {field glass}. {Field madder} (Bot.), a plant ({Sherardia arvensis}) used in dyeing. {Field marshal} (Mil.), the highest military rank conferred in the British and other European armies. {Field officer} (Mil.), an officer above the rank of captain and below that of general. {Field officer's court} (U.S.Army), a court-martial consisting of one field officer empowered to try all cases, in time of war, subject to jurisdiction of garrison and regimental courts. --Farrow. {Field plover} (Zool.), the black-bellied plover ({Charadrius squatarola}); also sometimes applied to the Bartramian sandpiper ({Bartramia longicauda}). {Field spaniel} (Zool.), a small spaniel used in hunting small game. {Field sparrow}. (Zool.) (a) A small American sparrow ({Spizella pusilla}). (b) The hedge sparrow. [Eng.] {Field staff} (Mil.), a staff formerly used by gunners to hold a lighted match for discharging a gun. {Field vole} (Zool.), the European meadow mouse. {Field of ice}, a large body of floating ice; a pack. {Field}, or {Field of view}, in a telescope or microscope, the entire space within which objects are seen. {Field magnet}. see under {Magnet}. {Magnetic field}. See {Magnetic}. {To back the field}, or {To bet on the field}. See under {Back}, v. t. -- {To keep the field}. (a) (Mil.) To continue a campaign. (b) To maintain one's ground against all comers. {To lay against the field} or {To back against the field}, to bet on (a horse, etc.) against all comers. {To take the field} (Mil.), to enter upon a campaign. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Field \Field\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Fielded}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fielding}.] 1. To take the field. [Obs.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster] 2. (Ball Playing) To stand out in the field, ready to catch, stop, or throw the ball. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Field \Field\, v. t. (Ball Playing) To catch, stop, throw, etc. (the ball), as a fielder. [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: field n 1: a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed; "he planted a field of wheat" 2: a region where a battle is being (or has been) fought; "they made a tour of Civil War battlefields" [syn: {battlefield}, {battleground}, {field of battle}, {field of honor}, {field}] 3: somewhere (away from a studio or office or library or laboratory) where practical work is done or data is collected; "anthropologists do much of their work in the field" 4: a branch of knowledge; "in what discipline is his doctorate?"; "teachers should be well trained in their subject"; "anthropology is the study of human beings" [syn: {discipline}, {subject}, {subject area}, {subject field}, {field}, {field of study}, {study}, {bailiwick}] 5: the space around a radiating body within which its electromagnetic oscillations can exert force on another similar body not in contact with it [syn: {field}, {field of force}, {force field}] 6: a particular kind of commercial enterprise; "they are outstanding in their field" [syn: {field}, {field of operation}, {line of business}] 7: a particular environment or walk of life; "his social sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment"; "he's out of my orbit" [syn: {sphere}, {domain}, {area}, {orbit}, {field}, {arena}] 8: a piece of land prepared for playing a game; "the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field" [syn: {playing field}, {athletic field}, {playing area}, {field}] 9: extensive tract of level open land; "they emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain"; "he longed for the fields of his youth" [syn: {plain}, {field}, {champaign}] 10: (mathematics) a set of elements such that addition and multiplication are commutative and associative and multiplication is distributive over addition and there are two elements 0 and 1; "the set of all rational numbers is a field" 11: a region in which active military operations are in progress; "the army was in the field awaiting action"; "he served in the Vietnam theater for three years" [syn: {field}, {field of operations}, {theater}, {theater of operations}, {theatre}, {theatre of operations}] 12: all of the horses in a particular horse race 13: all the competitors in a particular contest or sporting event 14: a geographic region (land or sea) under which something valuable is found; "the diamond fields of South Africa" 15: (computer science) a set of one or more adjacent characters comprising a unit of information 16: the area that is visible (as through an optical instrument) [syn: {field}, {field of view}] 17: a place where planes take off and land [syn: {airfield}, {landing field}, {flying field}, {field}] v 1: catch or pick up (balls) in baseball or cricket 2: play as a fielder 3: answer adequately or successfully; "The lawyer fielded all questions from the press" 4: select (a team or individual player) for a game; "The Buckeyes fielded a young new quarterback for the Rose Bowl"