▪ I. grenade, n.1
(grɪˈneɪd)
Forms: α. 6–7 granade; β. 7– grenade.
[a. F. grenade fem., a. Sp. granada (also Pg.) pomegranate (see garnet); hence transf. = sense 2 below. See also grenado.]
† 1. A pomegranate. Obs. (Cf. granate n.2)
| α c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 912 Granades, grenades. 1664 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (1729) 211 Water young planted Shrubs..as Orange-Trees, Myrtles, Granades. |
| β 1654 Whitelocke Jrnl. Swed. Emb. (1772) I. 375 He..sent..a present of citrones, grenades, and curious spanish comfitures. |
2. a. A small explosive shell, usually of metal, thrown into the trenches or among clusters of the enemy. It is now thrown only by hand: see hand-grenade. rampart grenade, one to be rolled down the rampart to harass the besieging enemy.
| α 1591 Garrard's Art Warre 317 For preparations against the assault you must not be destitute of all sorts of arteficial fire, as Trompes, Granades, Bullets. c 1645 Tullie Siege Carlisle (1840) 38 Diverse were pitifully burned by the granade. 1658 R. Franck North. Mem. (1694) 16 Sin, like a Granade, tears up all before it. |
| β 1709 Steele Tatler No. 80 ¶9 The Charge began with the Fire of Bombs and Grenades. 1767 T. Simes Mil. Medley (1768), Grenade is an iron orbicular case..filled with powder, to be thrown by the grenadiers amongst the enemy in an attack. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xvii. IV. 81 A brave French refugee with a grenade in his hand was the first to climb the breach. 1863 Kinglake Crimea (1876) I. xiv. 242 That..grenades should be secretly placed in the houses of the men. |
| fig. a 1657 Lovelace Poems (1864) 193 An icy breast in it betray'd Breaks a destructive wild granade. 1886 Pall Mall G. 30 Sept. 1/1 The bludgeon of downright calumny, and the mud grenade of libellous abuse are more in vogue nowadays than the rapier of wit or the barbed dart of polished sarcasm. |
b. A glass receptacle to be thrown in order to burst and disperse its contents; e.g. drain grenade, one filled with a strong-smelling fluid, to be used in detecting a leakage in a drain; fire-grenade, a fire-extinguisher, = hand-grenade 2.
| 1891 E.A. Parkes' Pract. Hygiene 110 Glass grenades charged with pungent chemicals. 1893 Taylor Sanit. Inspector's Handbk. 103 A similar test is the ‘Banner drain grenade’, an appliance made of thin glass charged with pungent and volatile chemicals. 1895 Army & Navy Coöp. Soc. Price List Sept. 286 New Hand Fire Grenade. |
3. attrib., as grenade-launcher, grenade pouch, grenade-thrower.
| 1959 C. Ogburn Marauders (1960) iv. 125 The Japanese..redoubled the fire of their *grenade launchers. 1969 I. Kemp Brit. G.I. in Vietnam iv. 83 There was a good deal of shouting from the garrison, several of whom started to fire grenade launchers into the night. |
| 1836 Hist. Rec. Life Guards 47 A *grenade pouch. |
| 1920 Glasgow Herald 14 Apr. 9 For one moment Commander-in-Chief and *grenade-thrower stood hand in hand looking long and confidently into each other's eyes. |
▪ II. grenade, n.2 Cookery.
(grɪˈneɪd)
[Alleged to be Fr.; perh. f. grain grain n.1, with the etymological sense of ‘something spiced’ (cf. OF. grané mentioned s.v. gravy); perh. a transferred use of grenade pomegranate. (Cf. grenadine1 and granada.)]
(See quot. 1706.)
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Grenade,..in Cookery, a Dish, of larded Veal-collops bak'd in a Stew-pan between two Fires, with six Pigeons and a Ragoo in the middle, and cover'd on the top and underneath with thin slices of Bacon. 1730–6 in Bailey (folio). 1892 Encycl. Cookery (ed. Garrett) I. 719 Grenades with Cherry Sauce. |
▪ III. greˈnade, v.
[f. grenade n.1]
trans. To attack with grenades.
| 1849 A. H. Clough Lett. & Rem. (1865) 144 The simple truth would appear to be, that we have been grenaded, not bombarded. 1947 Dylan Thomas Let. 29 May (1966) 309 Our little spankers make so much noise I cannot work anywhere near them. God grenade them. 1959 C. Ogburn Marauders (1960) iv. 120 The sound of anything stirring was to be instantly grenaded. |