the.com/ordnance
The military's word for 'stuff that explodes,' minus the honesty of saying so.
means Military supplies, especially weapons, ammunition, and the equipment to deliver them.
from From Middle English 'ordinaunce,' meaning arrangement or disposition — the same root that gives us 'ordain' and 'ordinance.' It originally referred broadly to military equipment and provisions as things 'ordered' or arranged for a campaign, then narrowed over time to mean specifically the weapons and munitions themselves.
- vs ordinance
- ordnance blows up, ordinance just regulates your fence height
- origin
- shortened from 'ordinance,' meaning military arrangement or supply
- unexploded ordnance
- still kills decades after wars officially end
- scope
- covers guns, bombs, missiles, and ammunition alike