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Webster 1913 Edition
Ordnance
Ord′nance
,Noun.
[From OE.
ordenance
, referring orig. to the bore or size of the cannon. See Ordinance
.] Heavy weapons of warfare; cannon, or great guns, mortars, and howitzers; artillery; sometimes, a general term for all weapons, ammunitiion, and appliances used in war.
All the battlements their
ordnance
fire. Shakespeare
Then you may hear afar off the awful roar of his [Rufus Choate’s] rifled
ordnance
. E. Everett.
Ordnance survey
, the official survey of Great Britain and Ireland, conducted by the ordnance department.
Webster 1828 Edition
Ordnance
ORD'NANCE
,Noun.