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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Gun \Gun\ (g[u^]n), n. [OE. gonne, gunne; of uncertain origin;
cf. Ir., Gael., & LL. gunna, W. gum; possibly (like cannon)
fr. L. canna reed, tube; or abbreviated fr. OF. mangonnel, E.
mangonel, a machine for hurling stones.]
1. A weapon which throws or propels a missile to a distance;
any firearm or instrument for throwing projectiles,
consisting of a tube or barrel closed at one end, in which
the projectile is placed, with an explosive charge (such
as guncotton or gunpowder) behind, which is ignited by
various means. Pistols, rifles, carbines, muskets, and
fowling pieces are smaller guns, for hand use, and are
called {small arms}. Larger guns are called {cannon},
{ordnance}, {fieldpieces}, {carronades}, {howitzers}, etc.
See these terms in the Vocabulary.
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As swift as a pellet out of a gunne
When fire is in the powder runne. --Chaucer.
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The word gun was in use in England for an engine to
cast a thing from a man long before there was any
gunpowder found out. --Selden.
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2. (Mil.) A piece of heavy ordnance; in a restricted sense, a
cannon.
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3. pl. (Naut.) Violent blasts of wind.
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Note: Guns are classified, according to their construction or
manner of loading as {rifled} or {smoothbore},
{breech-loading} or {muzzle-loading}, {cast} or
{built-up guns}; or according to their use, as {field},
{mountain}, {prairie}, {seacoast}, and {siege guns}.
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{Armstrong gun}, a wrought iron breech-loading cannon named
after its English inventor, Sir William Armstrong.

{Big gun} or {Great gun}, a piece of heavy ordnance; hence
(Fig.), a person superior in any way; as, bring in the big
guns to tackle the problem.

{Gun barrel}, the barrel or tube of a gun.

{Gun carriage}, the carriage on which a gun is mounted or
moved.

{Gun cotton} (Chem.), a general name for a series of
explosive nitric ethers of cellulose, obtained by steeping
cotton in nitric and sulphuric acids. Although there are
formed substances containing nitric acid radicals, yet the
results exactly resemble ordinary cotton in appearance. It
burns without ash, with explosion if confined, but quietly
and harmlessly if free and open, and in small quantity.
Specifically, the lower nitrates of cellulose which are
insoluble in ether and alcohol in distinction from the
highest (pyroxylin) which is soluble. See {Pyroxylin}, and
cf. {Xyloidin}. The gun cottons are used for blasting and
somewhat in gunnery: for making celluloid when compounded
with camphor; and the soluble variety (pyroxylin) for
making collodion. See {Celluloid}, and {Collodion}. Gun
cotton is frequenty but improperly called
{nitrocellulose}. It is not a nitro compound, but an ester
of nitric acid.

{Gun deck}. See under {Deck}.

{Gun fire}, the time at which the morning or the evening gun
is fired.

{Gun metal}, a bronze, ordinarily composed of nine parts of
copper and one of tin, used for cannon, etc. The name is
also given to certain strong mixtures of cast iron.

{Gun port} (Naut.), an opening in a ship through which a
cannon's muzzle is run out for firing.

{Gun tackle} (Naut.), the blocks and pulleys affixed to the
side of a ship, by which a gun carriage is run to and from
the gun port.

{Gun tackle purchase} (Naut.), a tackle composed of two
single blocks and a fall. --Totten.

{Krupp gun}, a wrought steel breech-loading cannon, named
after its German inventor, Herr Krupp.

{Machine gun}, a breech-loading gun or a group of such guns,
mounted on a carriage or other holder, and having a
reservoir containing cartridges which are loaded into the
gun or guns and fired in rapid succession. In earlier
models, such as the {Gatling gun}, the cartridges were
loaded by machinery operated by turning a crank. In modern
versions the loading of cartidges is accomplished by
levers operated by the recoil of the explosion driving the
bullet, or by the pressure of gas within the barrel.
Several hundred shots can be fired in a minute by such
weapons, with accurate aim. The {Gatling gun}, {Gardner
gun}, {Hotchkiss gun}, and {Nordenfelt gun}, named for
their inventors, and the French {mitrailleuse}, are
machine guns.

{To blow great guns} (Naut.), to blow a gale. See {Gun}, n.,
3.
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Mountain \Moun"tain\ (moun"t[i^]n), a.
1. Of or pertaining to a mountain or mountains; growing or
living on a mountain; found on or peculiar to mountains;
among mountains; as, a mountain torrent; mountain pines;
mountain goats; mountain air; mountain howitzer.
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2. Like a mountain; mountainous; vast; very great.
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The high, the mountain majesty of worth. --Byron.
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{Mountain antelope} (Zool.), the goral.

{Mountain ash} (Bot.), an ornamental tree, the {Pyrus
Americana} (or {Sorbus Americana}), producing beautiful
bunches of red berries. Its leaves are pinnate, and its
flowers white, growing in fragrant clusters. The European
species is the {Pyrus aucuparia}, or rowan tree.

{Mountain barometer}, a portable barometer, adapted for safe
transportation, used in measuring the heights of
mountains.

{Mountain beaver} (Zool.), the sewellel.

{Mountain blue} (Min.), blue carbonate of copper; azurite.

{Mountain cat} (Zool.), the catamount. See {Catamount}.

{Mountain chain}, a series of contiguous mountain ranges,
generally in parallel or consecutive lines or curves.

{Mountain cock} (Zool.), capercailzie. See {Capercailzie}.

{Mountain cork} (Min.), a variety of asbestus, resembling
cork in its texture.

{Mountain crystal}. See under {Crystal}.

{Mountain damson} (Bot.), a large tree of the genus
{Simaruba} ({Simaruba amarga}) growing in the West Indies,
which affords a bitter tonic and astringent, sometimes
used in medicine.

{Mountain dew}, Scotch whisky, so called because often
illicitly distilled among the mountains. [Humorous]

{Mountain ebony} (Bot.), a small leguminous tree ({Bauhinia
variegata}) of the East and West Indies; -- so called
because of its dark wood. The bark is used medicinally and
in tanning.

{Mountain flax} (Min.), a variety of asbestus, having very
fine fibers; amianthus. See {Amianthus}.

{Mountain fringe} (Bot.), climbing fumitory. See under
{Fumitory}.

{Mountain goat}. (Zool.) See {Mazama}.

{Mountain green}. (Min.)
(a) Green malachite, or carbonate of copper.
(b) See {Green earth}, under {Green}, a.

{Mountain holly} (Bot.), a branching shrub ({Nemopanthes
Canadensis}), having smooth oblong leaves and red berries.
It is found in the Northern United States.

{Mountain laurel} (Bot.), an American shrub ({Kalmia
latifolia}) with glossy evergreen leaves and showy
clusters of rose-colored or white flowers. The foliage is
poisonous. Called also {American laurel}, {ivy bush}, and
{calico bush}. See {Kalmia}.

{Mountain leather} (Min.), a variety of asbestus, resembling
leather in its texture.

{Mountain licorice} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Trifolium}
({Trifolium Alpinum}).

{Mountain limestone} (Geol.), a series of marine limestone
strata below the coal measures, and above the old red
standstone of Great Britain. See Chart of {Geology}.

{Mountain linnet} (Zool.), the twite.

{Mountain magpie}. (Zool.)
(a) The yaffle, or green woodpecker.
(b) The European gray shrike.

{Mountain mahogany} (Bot.) See under {Mahogany}.

{Mountain meal} (Min.), a light powdery variety of calcite,
occurring as an efflorescence.

{Mountain milk} (Min.), a soft spongy variety of carbonate of
lime.

{Mountain mint}. (Bot.) See {Mint}.

{Mountain ousel} (Zool.), the ring ousel; -- called also
{mountain thrush} and {mountain colley}. See {Ousel}.

{Mountain pride}, or {Mountain green} (Bot.), a tree of
Jamaica ({Spathelia simplex}), which has an unbranched
palmlike stem, and a terminal cluster of large, pinnate
leaves.

{Mountain quail} (Zool.), the plumed partridge ({Oreortyx
pictus}) of California. It has two long, slender,
plumelike feathers on the head. The throat and sides are
chestnut; the belly is brown with transverse bars of black
and white; the neck and breast are dark gray.

{Mountain range}, a series of mountains closely related in
position and direction.

{Mountain rice}. (Bot.)
(a) An upland variety of rice, grown without irrigation,
in some parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States.
(b) An American genus of grasses ({Oryzopsis}).

{Mountain rose} (Bot.), a species of rose with solitary
flowers, growing in the mountains of Europe ({Rosa
alpina}).

{Mountain soap} (Min.), a soft earthy mineral, of a brownish
color, used in crayon painting; saxonite.

{Mountain sorrel} (Bot.), a low perennial plant ({Oxyria
digyna} with rounded kidney-form leaves, and small
greenish flowers, found in the White Mountains of New
Hampshire, and in high northern latitudes. --Gray.

{Mountain sparrow} (Zool.), the European tree sparrow.

{Mountain spinach}. (Bot.) See {Orach}.

{Mountain tobacco} (Bot.), a composite plant ({Arnica
montana}) of Europe; called also {leopard's bane}.

{Mountain witch} (Zool.), a ground pigeon of Jamaica, of the
genus {Geotrygon}.
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Mountain \Moun"tain\, n. [OE. mountaine, montaine, F. montagne,
LL. montanea, montania, fr. L. mons, montis, a mountain; cf.
montanus belonging to a mountain. See 1st {Mount}.]
1. A large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common
level of the earth or adjacent land; earth and rock
forming an isolated peak or a ridge; an eminence higher
than a hill; a mount.
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2. pl. A range, chain, or group of such elevations; as, the
White Mountains.
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3. A mountainlike mass; something of great bulk; a large
quantity.
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I should have been a mountain of mummy. --Shak.
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{The Mountain} (--La montagne) (French Hist.), a popular name
given in 1793 to a party of extreme Jacobins in the
National Convention, who occupied the highest rows of
seats.
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