grapeshot

IPA/ˈɡreɪpʃɒt/
KK[ɡrˈepʃˌɑt]IPA/ˈɡreɪpʃɑːt/

grapeshot — noun

1. artillery ammunition made of many small metal balls that spread from a cannon bl

1.nounC2
Definition

artillery ammunition made of many small metal balls that spread from a cannon blast, especially in older battles

Example

Captain Niran fired grapeshot and drove the attackers off the deck.

typical context: cannon grapeshot used against a close group

Jude ducked behind the wall as grapeshot smashed the wooden gate.

scene: grapeshot striking a barrier at close range

Common collocations
  • fire grapeshot
  • load grapeshot
  • blast of grapeshot
  • grapeshot range
Synonyms
  • canister shot

    very similar anti-personnel artillery ammunition, though usually packed in a container rather than a grape-like cluster

  • case shot

    historical term for a comparable load of small metal balls fired from artillery

Grammar Patterns

fire grapeshot

load a cannon with grapeshot

at grapeshot range

Usage Note

Usually found in historical writing about cannons, naval battles, and older artillery tactics. It often refers to shots fired at short range against a group of people rather than at a single target.

Common Mistakes

The hunter loaded grapeshot into his shotgun.
The hunter loaded buckshot into his shotgun.
grapeshot is ammunition for a cannon, not for a handheld gun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Grapeshot, canister shot, case shot, and shrapnel all relate to anti-personnel artillery, but they are not the same. Grapeshot is an older round made from a cluster of larger metal balls that spread after leaving the cannon. Canister shot is similar, but the balls are usually smaller and packed inside a container that bursts as the gun is fired. Case shot is a broader historical label that can overlap with canister shot. Shrapnel is later ammunition that bursts in the air and throws metal outward at a distance. If a history book describes a cannon sweeping men off a deck or tearing through a close formation, grapeshot is often the most exact word.

grapeshot ↗canister shotcase shotshrapnel

Common collocations

Nouns

  • blast of grapeshot
  • hail of grapeshot
  • grapeshot wound

Phrases

  • fire grapeshot
  • load a cannon with grapeshot

Prepositions

  • with grapeshot
  • at grapeshot range

Etymology

English

The name comes from the way the packed balls looked like a bunch of grapes. English formed grapeshot from grape and shot to describe an artillery round whose balls spread after being fired from a cannon.

First known use

1745

1745, in the meaning defined above