Adjacent Words

Breech definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BREECH, n. brich. [See Breach and Break.] The lower part of the body behind.
1. Breeches; but rarely used in the singular.
2. The hinder part of any thing.
BREECH, v.t. To put into breeches.
1. To whip on the breech.
2. See Britch.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: opening in the rear of the barrel of a gun where bullets can be loaded [syn: breech, rear of barrel, rear of tube]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, breeches, from Old English br?c, plural of br?c leg covering; akin to Old High German bruoh breeches, Latin braca pants Date: before 12th century 1. plural a. short pants covering the hips and thighs and fitting snugly at the lower edges at or just below the knee b. pants 2. a. the hind end of the body ; buttocks b. breech presentation; also a fetus that is presented breech first 3. the part of a firearm at the rear of the barrel

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a the part of a cannon behind the bore. b the back part of a rifle or gun barrel. 2 archaic the buttocks. --v.tr. archaic put (a boy) into breeches after being in petticoats since birth. Phrases and idioms: breech birth (or delivery) the delivery of a baby with the buttocks or feet foremost. breech-block a metal block which closes the breech aperture in a gun. breech-loader a gun loaded at the breech, not through the muzzle. breech-loading (of a gun) loaded at the breech, not through the muzzle. Etymology: OE broc, pl. brec (treated as sing. in ME), f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Breech Breech, n. [See Breeches.] 1. The lower part of the body behind; the buttocks. 2. Breeches. [Obs.] --Shak. 3. The hinder part of anything; esp., the part of a cannon, or other firearm, behind the chamber. 4. (Naut.) The external angle of knee timber, the inside of which is called the throat.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Breech Breech, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Breeched; p. pr. & vb. n. Breeching.] 1. To put into, or clothe with, breeches. A great man . . . anxious to know whether the blacksmith's youngest boy was breeched. --Macaulay. 2. To cover as with breeches. [Poetic] Their daggers unmannerly breeched with gore. --Shak. 3. To fit or furnish with a breech; as, to breech a gun. 4. To whip on the breech. [Obs.] Had not a courteous serving man conveyed me away, whilst he went to fetch whips, I think, in my conscience, he would have breeched me. --Old Play. 5. To fasten with breeching.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(breeches) The breech of a gun is the part of the barrel at the back into which you load the bullets. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Hinder part, after part, butt.

Moby Thesaurus

afterpart, afterpiece, back, back door, back seat, back side, backside, bed, bedrock, behind, belly, bottom, bottom side, buttocks, derriere, downside, fanny, fundament, hardpan, heel, hind end, hind part, hindhead, lower side, lowest layer, lowest level, nether side, nethermost level, occiput, posterior, postern, rear, rear end, rearward, reverse, rock bottom, rump, stern, substratum, tail, tail end, tailpiece, underbelly, underlayer, underneath, underside