ordnance

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English

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Etymology

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A reduced form of ordinance, which is attested from the late 14th century in the sense of "military equipment or provisions". The sense of "artillery" arises in the early 15th century, the sense "military logistics" in the late 15th century. The shortened form ordnance arises by the 17th century, now often distinguished in writing from the other meanings of ordinance. Also doublet of ordonnance.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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ordnance (countable and uncountable, plural ordnances)

  1. Military equipment, especially weapons and ammunition.
    • 1624, John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVI., in The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne, ed. Charles M. Coffin, New York: Modern Library (1952), pp. 438-40:
      When the Turkes took Constantinople, they melted the Bells into Ordnance; I have heard both Bells and Ordnance, but never been so much affected with those, as with these Bells.
  2. Artillery.
    • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], pages 293–294:
      From the belfries far and near the funereal deathbell tolled unceasingly while all around the gloomy precincts rolled the ominous warning of a hundred muffled drums punctuated by the hollow booming of pieces of ordnance.

Usage notes

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  • Although prescriptive authorities say this word should now be pronounced with only two syllables, the original pronunciation with three syllables (like ordinance, from which this word derives) remains very common. (Shakespeare used both.[1][2])

Derived terms

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With prefixes

Translations

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References

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  1. ^ Dale F. Coye, Pronouncing Shakespeare's Words: A Guide from A to Zounds, 2014, pages 138, 208, 305
  2. ^ Shakespeare Words, ordnance, ordinance (n.)
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