▪ I. munition, n.
(mjuːˈnɪʃən)
Forms: 5 munycion, 5–6 monysion, -yon, 5–7 municion, 6 monition, monycion, munishon, munitione, -tioun(e, munycyon, 6– munition.
[a. F. munition, ad. L. mūnītiōn-em, f. mūnīre: see munite v.]
† 1. a. The action of fortifying or defending, fortification. lit. and fig. b. concr. A fortification, defensive structure or work; anything that serves as a defence or protection. Obs.
| 1533 Bellenden Livy i. iii. (S.T.S.) 22 Sic thingis done, he garnist mont palentyne, quhare he was nurist, with strang mvnitioun. c 1540 tr. Pol. Verg. Eng. Hist. (Camden) I. 259 Leavinge a garrison for the munition of the porte hee hasted into Denmarcke. 1555 Eden Decades 121 The situation of the place hath no natural munition or defense. 1565 J. Calfhill Answ. Treat. Crosse 39 Let vs enter into the walled cities, The battayles of the Heretiques doe arise, Let the munitions of Christ holde vs. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 598 The inhabitants..haue the middest of the Groue fortified with a triple wall. The first munition containeth the Kings Pallace; the second [etc.]. a 1619 Daniel On Death Earl of Devon. 351 With what munition he did fortifie His heart. a 1619 M. Fotherby Atheom. ii. vii. §4 (1622) 268 The fortification and munition of their Towne. 1675 T. Turnor Bankers & Creditors (ed. 2) 39 Such was the Care of our Ancestors..in the Munition and Fencing about of their Rights and Properties. a 1716 South Serm. (1744) VII. iv. 75 The inward firmness of one must be corroborated by the exterior munitions of the other. 1791 Cowper Iliad. i. 357 Whose might, the chief munition is of all our host. 1816 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. xvii. (1818) II. 27 [Ants] unite more intimately for defence against some common enemy, and to raise works of munition that may resist his attack. |
2. a. sing. and pl. Military stores;
= ammunition 1. Often more explicitly
munition(s of war. Also
colloq., the production of munitions; munition-work.
Ministry of Munitions: a ministry which from 1915 to 1921 controlled the manufacture and supply of munitions. So
Minister of Munitions.
In the 16–17th c. the
sing. was often used
spec. (
= ammunition in the present restricted sense) for what is used in charging firearms and ordnance, as powder, shot, shell, etc.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon xx. 58 A grete shyppe,..wel furnyshyd with bysket, wynes and flesshe,..and with monysyons of warre. 1544 in R. G. Marsden Sel. Pl. Crt. Adm. (1894) I. 140 All the victelles powder and monycions of the shippe. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 56 They were neyther sufficiently furnished of munition nor weapons. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Armaturæ duplices,..Souldiours hauyng double munition. 1575 Churchyard Chippes (1817) 154 No maruel though, their hearts within did quaile Who did..behold Their powlder fayld, theyr water waxed skant Their hope is smal, that doth munishon want. 1616 Bullokar Eng. Expos., Munition, great Ordinance for the warre, great shot. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia iv. 163 We had of Tooles, Armes, and Munition sufficient. a 1639 Spottiswood Hist. Ch. Scot. ii. (1677) 81 Right against it was all the munition of the Castle planted. 1642 Petition in Ho. Lords 16 Apr. in Clarendon Hist. Reb. v. §55 Armes, and Munition for defence of this Kingdom. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl., Munition, or Ammunition, the provisions wherewith any place is furnished in order for defence; or wherewith a vessel is stocked for a voyage; or [those] that follow a camp for its subsistence. 1818 Cobbett Pol. Reg. XXXIII 200 The President states..that they have given aid to neither of the parties in men, money, ships or munitions of war. 1825 Scott Talism. xx, De Vaux having been sent to Ascalon to bring up reinforcements and supplies of military munition. 1836 W. Irving Astoria I. 302 The company was to fit them out, and keep them supplied with the requisite equipments and munitions, and they were to yield one half of the produce of their hunting and trapping. 1868 Rogers Pol. Econ. xvii. (1876) 227 Gunpowder, firearms, or any other commodity which may be brought within the definition of munitions of war. 1915 Times 26 May 9/6 The Prime Minister has decided that a new Department shall be created, to be called the Ministry of Munitions. 1915 Act 5 & 6 Geo. V c. 54 §4 If the Minister of Munitions considers it expedient..that any establishment in which munitions work is carried on should be subject to the special provisions, [etc.]. 1917 Hall Caine Our Girls i. 11 By permission of Mr. Montague, the Minister of Munitions..we are at the gates of the great Arsenal. 1917 Dalton (Lancs.) Guardian 28 Apr. 3/5 He had been sent to munitions, and had not been out to the front. 1924 B. Gilbert Bly Market 66, I expect..you'll be leaving the schooling and go to the munitions. 1925 D. Carnegie Hist. Munitions Supply in Canada xxvi. 251 Mr. H. E. Morgan..was sent out to Canada from the Ministry of Munitions. 1935 A. J. Cronin Stars look Down ii. vii. 301 There was a future in munitions... They were going to put up a line of sheds..filling sheds. 1957 Encycl. Brit. XV. 963/1 On the formation of the first wartime coalition government in 1915, a major change in organization was made by setting up a ministry of munitions, with David Lloyd George as the first minister. |
| transf. and fig. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 233 That olde enemye of mankynde..layeth to all hys munition. 1625 B. Jonson Staple of N. i. iii, Here Master Picklocke, Sir, your man o' Law, And learn'd Atturney, has sent you a Bag of munition. a 1633 Austin Medit. (1635) 101 Take (after) from the Bodie, all the Munition, that armes, and makes it strong in resisting. 1857 Hughes Tom Brown ii. iv, They carry all their munitions [for birds' nesting] into calling-over. |
† b. ? Apparatus.
Obs.| 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 33 Holding in his honde a flabotomye of [? read or] munycion for latyng blood. |
† 3. ? A granted right or privilege;
= munity.
| 1461 Rolls of Parlt. V. 489/2 Corporacions, Municions,..Annexions, Unyons, severauncez from Shires. |
† 4. ? The action of providing, provision.
Obs.| 1480 Wardr. Acc. Edw. IV (1830) 113 Also for to make into the same his saide grete Warderobe monysion of all maner of stuff. 1642 Ld. Saye & Sele Sp. in Parlt. 25 Feb. 3 This munition of such formes upon all men. |
5. attrib. and
Comb.:
munition factory,
munition girl,
munition-maker,
munition-making,
munition work,
munition worker,
munition works; also
munitions work,
munition worker;
munition bread [F.
pain de munition]
= ammunition bread;
munition house = ammunition house;
munition ship (see
quots.);
† munition-wine, wine supplied to soldiers.
| 1629 S'hertogenbosh 50 The Gouernours diuided also *mu[n]ition bread amongst the needy Burgers. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Munition bread, contract or commissariat bread. |
| 1909 Westm. Gaz. 9 Oct. 2/2 In 1895 he visited the chief firearm and *munition factories of France. 1921 G. A. B. Dewar Great Munition Feat v. 112 The notion that a munition factory was a place full of shirkers and profiteers is grossly ignorant. |
| 1916 M. Cosens (title) Lloyd George's *munition girls. 1918 Daily Mirror 12 Nov. 6/2 Soldiers, sailors, munition girls and mere civilians clung on anywhere. |
| 1569 Burgh Rec. Edin. (1875) III. 263 To put in the samyn [pikis] in the townys *mvnition hous quhair thay war of before. |
| 1916 Home Companion 12 Aug. 16/1 This is my last chat to you, little mother *munition-makers. |
| 1916 ‘B. Cable’ Doing their Bit 24 No man or lathe or tool that can be turned to *munition-making is possibly doing anything else. |
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), *Munition-Ships, such Vessels as are employ'd to carry ammunition &c. and to tend upon a Fleet of Men of War. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Munition ships, those which carry the naval stores for a fleet, as distinguished from the victuallers. |
| 1603 Florio Montaigne i. xxxv, So hard frosts, that their *munition-wines were faine to be cut and broken with hatchets. |
| 1916 ‘B. Cable’ Doing their Bit 40 Anything less promising of *munition work it would be hard to find. 1918 Times 27 Mar. 3/1 These are all chapters in the romance of munitions work in the Midlands. |
| 1915 Daily Sketch 18 Aug. 2 (heading) Badges for the volunteer *munition worker. 1915 W. Owen Let. 16 Oct. (1967) 359 Dr. Rayner says I should become a Munitions Worker at Birmingham. 1925 D. Carnegie Hist. Munitions Supply in Canada xxvi. 250 One manufacturer said that it cost him approximately $300 to train each munition worker. 1957 Encycl. Brit. XV. 964/1 Specialist ladies were set up to deal with the health of munitions workers, especially women. |
| 1917 W. Owen Let. 7 Sept. (1967) 491 The other owner of a large *Munition Works. 1932 H. Simpson Boomerang xvi. 436 The women were haring off to munition-works at five pounds a week. 1940 G. D. H. & M. Cole (title) Murder at the munition works. |
▪ II. munition, v. (
mjuːˈnɪʃən)
[f. munition n. Cf. F. munitionner (16th c. in Littré).] 1. trans. To supply with munitions of war.
| 1578–9 Reg. Privy Council Scot. III. 79 The citie of Carlisle, with ane strong castell and citidaill thairin, weill munitioned. 1640 Gent Knave in Gr. i. i. B ij, A Leaguer cannot be planted, mann'd, victuall'd, and munition'd with a small magazine. 1651 Howell Venice 102 Twelve Gallies ready rigg'd and munition'd, which his Holiness shall mann for the service of the League. 1888 M. Morris Claverhouse viii. 144 The castles of Stirling and Edinburgh were munitioned for war. 1895 N. Amer. Rev. Mar. 375 England has strongly fortified and completely munitioned stations at Halifax and St. John's. |
2. To furnish (a room).
rare.
| 1877 M. LaffanHon. Miss Ferrard II. ii. 131 Helena's room was very differently munitioned from the pretty chamber she had left. |
3. intr. To do munition work; to work in a munition factory.
| 1916 ‘B. Cable’ Doing their Bit 23 A man cast for a commission and refused for the ranks a year ago on account of his eyes has ‘gone munitioning’. |