cartridge
(ˈkɑːtrɪdʒ)
Forms: 6–7 cartage, 7 cartrage, -redge, -rege, cartharidge, (cartalage), cartruce, 7–8 carthrage, 8 cartrouche, 7– cartridge.
[A corruption of cartouche, q.v. for other forms and examples.]
1. a. Mil. The case in which the exact charge of powder for fire-arms is made up; of paper, parchment, pasteboard, flannel, serge, metal, etc., according to its use. Generally, for small-arms, the cartridge contains the bullet as well as the powder (called distinctively a ball-cartridge); if it contains no ball, it is a blank cartridge.
| 1579 Digges Stratiot. 116 Cases of Haileshot in manner of Cartages. 1611 Florio, Scarnuzzo, a cartage so called of gunners. 1625 Markham Souldiers Accid. 42 Cartalages..for this or any other peece on horsebacke. 1626 Capt. Smith Accid. Yng. Seamen 2 The Maister Gunner hath the charge of the..Spunges, Cartrages, Armes. 1644 Nye Gunnery i. (1647) 38 Canvas or strong paper, to make Cartredges. 1656 Blount Glossogr., Cartouche (Fr.), a charge of powder and shot ready made up in a paper; we corruptly call it a cartage. 1665 Phil. Trans. I. 84 A Cartridge full of Gunpowder. 1677 Earl of Orrery Art of War 58 If the Powder in the Cartruce be wet. 1678 Phillips, Carthrage..a bag of Canvas..of such a depth as to contain just so much Powder as the Charge of the Piece: Also a Charge of Powder and Shot made ready in a Paper for any smaller Gun. 1702 E. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. (ed. 20) 369 Ordnance..with cartrouches and ball for service. 1868 Regul. & Ord. Army §630 a, 90 rounds of ball Cartridge and 60 rounds of blank Cartridge. 1887 Murray's Mag. Aug. 181 The famous buckshot-cartridges were ordered by the Government that preceded him [Mr. Forster]. |
b. transf. and
fig.| 1673 Marvell Reh. Transp. ii. 182 'Tis pity that you..did not..fill the cartridges or distribute them to each magistrate according to his calibre. 1679 Plot Staffordsh. (1686) 221 Pellets or Cartrages of the same forme..made not of the leaves of the same tree..but plainly of the Rose. 1826 Sheridan in Sheridaniana, Every line is a cartridge of wit in itself. 1872 Lever Ld. Kilgobbin lxvii, What rare wisdom it is not to fire away one's last cartridge. |
† c. = cartridge-box.
Obs.| 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiv. 66 They haue also Cartrages or rather cases for Cartrages made of Lattin to keepe the Cartrages in. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. s.v., There are also Tin Cartridges, in which the Paper or Parchment ones are both formed and carried. |
d. (
i)
Photogr. A spool of film in a (cylindrical) light-proof container designed for daylight loading;
esp. one that requires mere insertion into a suitable camera.
| 1918 Photo-Miniature Mar. 9 Film Cartridge, roll of sensitive film (for negatives) wound on a spool and enclosed within a longer band of black paper for daylight changing. 1940 A. L. M. Sowerby Wall's Dict. Photogr. (ed. 15) 111 The term cartridge is sometimes applied to roll films in spools. 1969 New Yorker 11 Oct. 17/2 (Advt.), This is it... The most automatic automatic. Just drop in the film cartridge. 1970 Amat. Photographer 11 Mar. 32/3 The 126 cartridge consists of two film chambers joined by a double ‘bridge’ which forms a channel for the film to pass through. |
(
ii) A small container for chemicals.
| 1920 Webster, Cartridge, a small case or capsule of chemicals. 1940 A. L. M. Sowerby Wall's Dict. Photogr. (ed. 15) 111 Dry photographic chemicals are often put up in cartridge form for the use of tourists. |
(
iii)
= cassette 1 d.
| 1960 Tape Recording & Hi-Fi Mag. 20 Apr. 18/2 Sufficient tape is contained within the three-inch wide cartridge to provide 65 minutes' playing time without interruption. 1966 Tape Recording Year Bk. 7 For some years tape recorder manufacturers have been trying to come to terms with the tape cassette (alternatively called a cartridge, or sometimes a magazine). 1970 Daily Tel. 16 Mar. 24/2 The ‘8 track’ cartridge..gives four stereo tracks of about 20 minutes each on a closed loop of tape. |
e. Part of the pick-up arm of a gramophone or record-player (see
quots. 1961, 1962).
| 1941 J. F. Rider Automatic Record Changers & Recorders ii. 43/1 In the case of crystal pickups.. it is inadvisable to make any attempt to repair the crystal, it being preferable to replace the defective crystal with a new cartridge. 1946 Electronics Sept. 164/2 A standard type of crystal pickup arm with the carbon button assembly mounted in place of the crystal cartridge. 1961 G. A. Briggs A to Z in Audio 28 Cartridge, the head of a pickup containing the voltage generating mechanisms and stylus assembly, which clips on or plugs in to the tone arm. 1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio 243 Cartridge can mean removable pick-up head or capsule. A tape capsule (or cartridge) is a double spool of tape in a single container (comprising both feed and take up) which does not need to be laced up before replay. 1963 Which? Jan. 8 The head contains the cartridge, and set into the cartridge is the stylus. |
† 2. Arch. a. A modillion or corbel;
b. The volute of an Ionic capital;
c. A tablet representing a sheet of paper with the ends rolled up;
= cartouche 2 a, b, c.
Obs.| 1611 Cotgr., Cartoche as cartouche; also a Cartridge or roll (in architecture). 1756 Nugent Gr. Tour, France IV. 90 The cartridges in the cieling are also by [Le Brun]. |
3. (See
quot.)
| 1747 Hooson Miner's Dict. E 1 b, When the Miner haums a Pick, there is always some of the Haum comes through the Eye on the other Side..that part he calls the Cartridge. |
4. attrib. and in
comb., as
cartridge-bag, a flannel bag, etc., containing the charge of powder for a cannon;
cartridge-belt, a belt having pockets for cartridges;
cartridge-box, a box for storing or carrying cartridges; the case in which a soldier carries his supply of cartridges; also see
quot. 1867;
cartridge-case, (
a)
= cartridge-box; (
b) the paper which contains the powder of a cartridge;
cartridge-filler, (
a) one who fills cartridges; (
b) an appliance for charging cartridge-cases with the proper quantity of powder;
cartridge-paper, a strong kind of paper, used for making cartridges, and also for rough drawings, etc.;
cartridge-shot, shot contained in cartridges;
cartridge starter, a device for starting an internal-combustion engine,
esp. in an aeroplane, by means of an explosive charge.
| 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. iv. 70 The Soldiers have each a *Cartage Box, covered with leather. 1802 Home Hist. Reb. iv, A musket, bayonet, and cartridge-box, were delivered to each volunteer. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Cartridge-box, a cylindrical wooden box..just containing one cartridge, and used for its safe conveyance from the magazine to the gun..The term is loosely applied to the ammunition-pouch. |
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789) Lanterne..a *cartridge-case, to carry the cartridges from the ship's magazine to the artillery. |
| 1858 J. B. Norton Topics 7 The *cartridge-cry..did not originate with the sepoys. |
| 1871 Ruskin Fors Clav. vi. 8 Every collier and *cartridge-filler is as fit for Elysium as any heathen could be. |
| 1712 Act 10 Anne in Lond. Gaz. No. 5018/3 Paper called..*Cartridge Paper. 1739 H. Beighton in Phil. Trans. XLI. 750 Fine Paper pasted on Cartridge-paper, or Two Papers pasted together. |
| 1690 Lond. Gaz. No. 2544/3 Major la Borde was kill'd with *Carthrage-shot from the last Cannon that was fired. 1753 Hanway Trav. (1762) II. 396 note, These [swivel guns or harquebuses] carried cartridge-shot to a great distance. |
| 1922 Flight XIV. 65/1 For use when no accumulators are carried there is the ‘*cartridge’ starter, originated and, we believe, patented by Farmans. 1956 J. Johnson Wing Leader 68 Which provided extra power and incorporated the Coffman cartridge starter. |
______________________________
Add:
[1.] [d.] (
iv) a small disposable container of ink, designed to fit into the barrel of a pen (
usu. a fountain pen) and serve as a refill;
cf. ink cartridge (
a)
s.v. *
ink n.1 4 a.
| 1945 Business Week 26 May 93/1 The radically new fountain pen with a ball-bearing point... The invention of a Hungarian by the name of Ladislav Biro..each full-sized pen will be equipped with a replaceable cartridge containing..a special, dry-writing, viscous ink. 1955 Stationery Trade Rev. Apr. 120/1 The first major change in design among English fountain pens for a number of years has now been announced officially, by the Waterman Pen Co. Ltd... Instead of a bulky..filling mechanism to draw fluid from an ink bottle, the ink is provided in a small plastic cartridge. The pen is unscrewed, the cartridge slipped into place and the instrument is ready to write. 1970 Kay & Co. (Worcester) Catal. 1970–71 Autumn/Winter 947/2, 14 ct. gold nib and a convertible filling system—with a Quink cartridge or an ink bottle refill. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XIX. 1045/2 Later, successful fountain pens appeared that could be filled simply by inserting a filled ink capsule called a cartridge. The cartridge system is the most popular filling means in the U.S. today, but elsewhere filling from an ink bottle is preferred. |
(
v) Any of various disposable or refillable containers for ink, toner, etc., used in electronic printers and photocopiers.
| 1985 Data Processing Sept. 33/3 When the ink runs out, it is replenished by replacing an hermatically [sic] sealed drop-in cartridge. 1988 Design Graphics World Feb. 35/3 The printer displays an error message on the LCD panel when the toner cartridge needs to be refilled. 1991 What Personal Computer 126/1 PostScript isn't exactly fast, even on a dedicated laser printer, and it's postively tardy when it's cartridge-based. |
[4.] cartridge pen, a fountain pen designed to take ink cartridges.
| 1955 Stationery Trade Rev. Aug. 67/1 What is claimed to be the ‘first popular-priced cartridge fountain pen’ has recently been introduced... Called the Sheaffer ‘Fineline’ cartridge pen, it is filled by inserting an ink-loaded cartridge into the barrel. 1977 Private Eye 13 May 23/3 (Advt.), Refillable ballpens and *cartridge pens that look good and feel good. 1990 Amiga Computing Dec. 166 (Advt.), The three pull-top pens in their presentation case consist of: One cartridge pen, One ballpoint pen, One fine liner. |