munition

From Latin mūnitiō (“a defence, fortification”) via French munition, from mūnīre (“fortify, defend (with a wall)”) +‎ -tiō, from moenia (“city walls, defensive walls, or walls in general”). Equivalent to munite +‎ -ion.

• IPA^(key): /ˌmjuˈnɪʃən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

munition (plural munitions)

1. (chiefly in the plural) Materials of war: armaments, weapons and ammunition.
   • 1917, Upton Sinclair, The Profits of Religion ‎:

     Just as we can say that an English girl who leaves the narrow circle of her old life, and goes into a munition factory and joins a union and takes part in its debates, will never after be a docile home-slave; so we can say that the clergyman who helps in Y. M. C. A. work in France, or in Red Cross organization in America, will be less the bigot and formalist forever after.

2. (chiefly in the plural, military, NATO) Bombs, rockets, missiles (complete explosive devices, in contrast to e.g. guns).
3. (rare, obsolete) A tower or fortification.
   • 1610, The Second Tome of the Holie Bible,  (Douay–Rheims Bible), Doway: Lavrence Kellam, , →OCLC, Habacvc 2:1:

     I wil stand vpon my watch, and fixe my steppe vpon the munition: and I wil behold, to see what may be sayd to me, and what I may answer to him that rebuketh me.

munition (third-person singular simple present munitions, present participle munitioning, simple past and past participle munitioned)

1. (transitive) To supply with munitions.
   • 1939, Philip George Chadwick, The Death Guard, page 154:

     Why was I there, munitioning, blacklegging, slaving as though my bread depended on it?

• remunition
• munitionette
• munitioner
• munitioneer

Borrowed from Latin mūnitiōnem, from mūniō.

• IPA^(key): /my.ni.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

munition f (plural munitions)

1. ammunition (weaponry)

Generally used in the plural.

• English: munition

• “munition”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.