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howitzer Meaning & Definition

ˈhau̇-ət-sər

What Does Howitzer Mean?

As a noun, howitzer means a short cannon used to fire projectiles at medium muzzle velocities and with relatively high trajectories.

Howitzer at a Glance

Part of speechnoun
Pronunciation/ˈhau̇-ət-sər/
Syllables3
Synonymsmortar and trench mortar
Pluralhowitzers
First known use1695

Howitzer Definition (Noun)

  1. a short cannon used to fire projectiles at medium muzzle velocities and with relatively high trajectories

Synonyms of Howitzer

Howitzer synonyms and antonyms →

Word Forms & Grammar

howitzer

howitzers

howitzer (plural howitzers)

howitzer (third-person singular simple present howitzers, present participle howitzering, simple past and past participle howitzered)

Origin of Howitzer

Origin 1: Dutch houwitser, ultimately from Czech houfnice ballista

Origin 2: Borrowed from Dutch houwitser, from German Haubitze, from Middle High German haufniz, from Czech houfnice, which was derived from houf (“flock, crowd”) +‎ -nice. The Czech noun houf comes from Middle High German hufe (“heap”), from Old High German hūfo.[1]

First Known Use

1695

Howitzer Pronunciation

The standard pronunciation of howitzer is /ˈhau̇-ət-sər/, spoken in 3 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (hau̇).

Common Questions About Howitzer

What part of speech is howitzer?

Howitzer is a noun.

What is another word for howitzer?

Close synonyms of howitzer are mortar and trench mortar. See the full list of howitzer synonyms and antonyms.

What is the plural of howitzer?

The plural of howitzer is howitzers.

Merriam-WebsterReference content from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary and Collegiate® Thesaurus © Merriam-Webster Inc.Data credits & licensing