Word
shrapnel
Phoneticsshrap·nel
US/ˈʃɹæpnəɫ/
UK/ʃɹˈæpnəl/
Definition
n. small pieces of metal that fly through the air when a bomb or shell explodes. In some places, people also use this word to talk about a pocket full of small, heavy coins.
n. fragments of a bomb, shell, or other object thrown out by an explosion. In British and Australian English, it serves as a colloquialism for a large amount of low-value loose change.
Examples
“The soldier had a small piece of shrapnel in his shoulder.”
“After the blast, investigators collected shrapnel from the site to determine the type of device used.”
“The armored plating was designed specifically to withstand high-velocity shrapnel, though the concussive force of the nearby detonation still caused significant internal damage to the vehicle's systems.”
Examples
simple
“The soldier had a small piece of shrapnel in his shoulder.”
contextual
“After the blast, investigators collected shrapnel from the site to determine the type of device used.”
complex
“The armored plating was designed specifically to withstand high-velocity shrapnel, though the concussive force of the nearby detonation still caused significant internal damage to the vehicle's systems.”
Usage
Uncountable; refers to the collective fragments rather than a single piece. When used for coins, it is informal and typically humorous.
Real-World Examples
“A cityscape tattooed on a young poet’s arm that cuts off suddenly where skin from his leg was grafted after he was torn up by shrapnel.” “When his mother describes her as “exotic”, the word lodges like shrapnel.” Etymology
From Shrapnel. Named after British army officer Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842) who invented an anti-personnel shell that transported a large number of bullets to the target before releasing them, at a far greater distance than rifles could fire the bullets individually. The surname is likely a metathesized form of Charbonnel, a diminutive of Old French charbon (“charcoal”) in reference to hair color, complexion, or the like.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/shrapnel