ammunition








noun

  1. the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets, and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells fired by guns.
  2. the means of igniting or exploding such material, as primers, fuzes, and gunpowder.
  3. any material, means, weapons, etc., used in any conflict: a crude ammunition of stones.
  4. information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim: Give me some ammunition for the debate.
  5. Obsolete. any military supplies.

noun

  1. any projectiles, such as bullets, rockets, etc, that can be discharged from a weapon
  2. bombs, missiles, chemicals, biological agents, nuclear materials, etc, capable of use as weapons
  3. any means of defence or attack, as in an argument
n.

1620s, from French soldiers’ faulty separation of Middle French la munition into l’ammunition; from Latin munitionem (nominative munitio) “a fortifying” (see munition), and at first meaning all military supplies in general. The mistake in the word perhaps was by influence of French a(d)monition “warning.” The error was corrected in French (Modern French munition), but retained in English.

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