gun 
caliber 0". 408, used in the Italian army, (b) A magazine bolt- 
gun used in the Italian and Swiss armies. -WMtworth. 
gun, an English rifled firearm, whether great or small, hav- 
ing a hexagonal bore, with a twist more rapid than usual : 
invented by Sir Joseph Whitworth. Winchester gun. 
an American magazine-rifle having a horizontal bolt and 
vertical cartridge-carrier operated by a lever on the un- 
der side of the stock. The magazine is below the barrel 
and in front of the receiver. Wire gun, a built-up 
gun made by winding wire about a tube, or by covering 
the tube with alternate layers wound circumferentmlly 
and laid longitudinally. See Woodbridge gun. Wood- 
bridge gun, a gun consisting of a thin steel tube wound 
with square wire, the interstices being fllled with melted 
brazing-solder to consolidate it into one mass. Wool- 
wich gun, a built-up muzzle-loading cannon used in the 
British service. The tube is made of solid cast-steel drawn 
out by heating and hammering. After boring, turning, 
and chambering, the tube is heated to a uniform temper- 
ature and plunged into a covered tank of rape-oil to hard- 
en and temper it. Wrought-iron coils are shrunk on over 
the tube to complete the structure. The breech-coil is 
formed of a triple coil, a trunnion-ring, and a double coil 
welded together. The muzzle-coil is composed of two 
single coils united by an end-weld. The breech-piece is 
screwed into the breech-coil so as to abut against the rear 
end of the tube. The gun is assembled by heating the 
coils, and these when expanded are slipped over the tube 
and allowed to contract. The tube is kept cool during 
this operation by forcing a stream of cold water through 
the bore. These guns have from 7 to 10 grooves semicir- 
cular in cross-section, with curved edges aad with a uni- 
formly increasing twist. Also called Prater gun. (See 
also casemate-gun, dynamite-gun, machine-gun, needle- 
gun, etc.) 
gun 1 (gun), v. .; pret. and pp. gunned, ppr. gun- 
ning. [< gun*, n.] To shoot with a gun ; prac- 
tise shooting, especially the smaller kinds of 
game. [U. S.] 
The Americans were, however, mostly marksmen, hav- 
ing been accustomed to gunning from their youth. 
Hannah Adams, Hist. New Eng. 
gun'^t. Past participle of gin' 1 . 
guna (go'na), n. [Skt. guna, quality, adsciti- 
tious quality, as distinguished from the real 
nature.] In Skt. gram., the changing of i and 
to e, u and u to 6, ri and ri to or, by compound- 
ing them with a prefixed (i that is, & + i = <?, 
and so on. The term is also sometimes used in 
regard to similar changes in other languages. 
gunarchyt, n. Same as gynarchy. 
gunate (go'nat), v. t. ; pret. and pp. gunated, ppr. 
gunating. [< guna + -ate?.] In philol., to sub- 
ject to the change known as guna. 
gunation (go-na'shpn), n. [< gunate + -jo.] 
In philol., the act of gunating, or the state of 
being gunated. 
gun-barrel (gun'bar"el), n. The barrel or tube 
of a gun dun-barrel drain. See drain. 
gunboat (gun'bot), re. 1. A boat or small ves- 
sel fitted to carry one or more guns of large 
caliber, and from its light draft capable of 
running close inshore or up rivers; also, any 
small vessel carrying guns. 2. In coal-mining, 
a self-dumping box on wheels, used for raising 
coal on slopes, and holding three or four tons 
of coal. It resembles a "skip," but runs on 
wheels, and not between guides. [Pennsylva- 
nia anthracite region.] 
gun-brig (gun' brig), re. An obsolete sailing 
vessel of war with two square-rigged masts, 
and generally of less than 500 tons burden. 
If they cut one or two of our people's heads off in Af- 
rica, we get up a gun-brig, and burn the barracoons, and 
slaughter a whole village for it. 
Lever, Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly, I. 298. 
gun-captain (gun'kap"tan), . The chief of a 
gun's crew, generally a petty officer. 
gun-carriage (gun'kar'aj), re. The carriage or 
structure on which a gun is mounted or moved, 
and on which it is fired. Naval gun-carriages for- 
merly consisted of two sides or brackets of wood, mounted 
2658 
fixed on a pair of wheels, called a limber, to which the 
horses are attached, so as to form a single four-wheeled 
carriage. In action it is unlimbered or detached from the 
fore part, and then rests on its wheels and on a strong sup- 
port called the trail. The protected barbette gun-carriaye, 
also called the Moncrieff gun-cai-riage (after its inventor 
Major MoncrieffX is designed to store up the force of recoil 
on firing, and apply it to the work of raising the gun to fire 
over a high parapet. When fired the gun descends under 
cover by its own recoil, assuming at the same time the 
loading position, in which it is retained by a toothed wheel 
and ratchet. When reloaded, by releasing the ratchet, it is 
brought by a counterweight, which the force of the recoil 
has elevated, back to its original position. The carriage 
moves laterally on a circular rail laid on the platform, and 
can easily be turned in any direction. The same inven- 
tor has also designed a hydropneumatic carriage, in which 
the force is stored up in the form of air, highly compressed 
in a strong iron cylinder. Also called artillery-carriage. 
guncotton (gun'kot'n), n. A general name for 
the nitrates of cellulose, prepared by digesting 
cotton or other form of cellulose in nitnc acid, 
or preferably in a mixture of nitric and sulphuric 
acids. A aeries of nitrates may thus be made, differing 
in composition and properties according to the strength 
of acids and time of digestion. Weak acids and short di- 
gestion yield trinitro- and tetranitro-cellulose, which dis- 
solve in a mixture of alcohol and ether. This solution is 
the collodion of commerce. A highly explosive nitrate, 
to which the name guncotton more properly belongs, is 
made by digesting clean cotton in a mixture of 1 part ni- 
tric acid, specific gravity 1.6, and 3 parts sulphuric acid, 
specific gravity 1.85, for 24 hours and thoroughly washing 
the product. This is a hexanitrate of cellulose, <y.ll , , 
(NOstoOio. It can hardly be distinguished by appearance 
from raw cotton, and is insoluble in alcohol and ether. 
When ignited it burns quietly, leaving no residue, but by 
percussion explodes violently, especially If compressed. 
Its explosive force is much greater than that of gunpow- 
der. It has been used chiefly for torpedoes and submarine 
blasting, but is now largely superseded by dynamite. 
gun-deck (gun'dek), n. See dtek, 2. 
gundelett(gun'de-let),. A gondola. Marston. 
gundelo, gundelow (gun'de-16), n. [A cor- 
ruption of gondola, gondola : see gondola.'] 
Same as gondola, 2. 
The square sail of the gundelow. 
Whittier, Snow-Bound. 
gundi, n. [Native name.] The north African 
comb-rat, Ctenodactylus maasoni. 
gundie (gun'di), a. [Origin obscure.] Greedy; 
voracious. [Scotch.] 
gundie (gun'di), n. [Cf. gundie, .] The sea- 
scorpion, Coitus scorpius. [Scotch.] 
Gundlachia (gund-lak'i-a), n. [NL., after 
J. Gundlaeh, a Cuban naturalist.] A genus 
of limpet-like fresh-water pond-snails, of the 
family Limnarida;, related to Ancylus, living on 
stones under water and feeding on eonfervse 
and other plants. The body is left-sided, and 
the genital openings are on the left side. 
gun-fire (gun'flr), n. Milit., the hour at which 
the morning or evening gun is fired. 
gun-flint (gun'flint), re. A piece of shaped flint 
fixed in the lock of a musket or pistol, before 
percussion-caps were used, to fire the charge. 
gunge, n. See gunj. 
gun-gear (gun'ger), re. All appliances and tools 
pertaining to the use of guns. 
gun-harpoon (gun'har-pon*), . A toggle-iron 
discharged from a bomb-gun at a whale, in- 
stead of being thrown by hand. 
gun-iron (gun'i'ern), n. 1. A gun-harpoon. 
2. See the extract. 
AH the iron for gun-work is specially prepared, it is of 
a superior quality to that to be generally obtained, and is 
known as gun-iron. W. W. Greener, The Gun, p. 257. 
gunj, gunge (gunj), . [Anglo-Ind., < Hind. 
Beng. ganj, a granary, mart, etc.] In Bengal, 
a public granary or store. Imp. Diet. 
gun.iah (gun'ja), n. Same as ganjah. 
gun-lift (gun lift), n. A machine or trestle 
surmounted by a hoisting-bar and a hydraulic 
jack, used for mounting and dismounting heavy 
guns or moving heavy weights. 
gun-lock (gun'lok), n. The mechanism of a 
gunneress 
This all important matter will influence the gunittt<lt> r. 
The Engineer, LXVI. 66. 
gunman (gun'mau), .; pi. gunmen (-men). A 
man employed in the manufacture of firearms. 
The strikes of the gunmen in Birmingham during the 
Crimean War undoubtedly greatly influenced our (Jovern- 
ment to take this step to ensure a sufllcient supply of arms 
in case of emergency. IT. W. Greener, The Gun, p. 270. 
gun-metal (gun'mefal), n. A bronze formerly 
much employed for cannon, especially for light 
field-artillery. It is now nearly supplanted by 
steel. See bronze. 
gun-money (gun'mun^i), n. Money of the coin- 
age issued by James II. in Ireland when he at- 
tempted to recover his kingdom in 1689 and 
1690. To obtain a sufficient supply of money, James is- 
sued coins nominally of the value of 5*., 2s. (id., 1*., and 
t''.: but they were made 
of the metal from brass 
cannon and kitchen uten- 
sils of copper and brass. 
gunnage (gun'aj), . 
[<gm^ + -age.] The 
total of the guns car- 
ried by a ship of war. 
[Bare.] 
gUnneH. Preterit of 
gin 1 . 
gunne 2 t,re. A Middle 
English form of gun 1 . 
gunnel, . See gun- 
wale. 
gunner (gun'er), n. 
[< ME. gunner, gon- 
ner (ML. gunnarius), 
< </'"""'. gonne, a 
gun: see guni.~\ If. 
One who discharged 
a gun of the catapult 
kind. See gun 1 , n. 
Qunnare, or he that 
swagythe a gunne, petra- 
rius, mangonalius. 
Prompt. Parv., p. 219. 
2. One skilled in the 
Use Of guns Or Can- B . ritisl1 Museum. 
non; one who works B 
a gun, either on land or at sea; a cannoneer. 
The master gonner of the Englishe part* slewe the mas- 
ter gonner of Scotlande, and bet all his men from theyr 
ordhvmnce. Hall, Hen. VIII., an. 6. 
The nimble gunner 
With linstock now the devilish cannon touches. 
Shot., Hen. V., Ui. (cho.X 
Flash 'd all their sabres bare, . . . 
Sabring the gunners there. 
Tennysott, Light Brigade. 
3. A warrant-officer in the navy appointed to 
take charge of all the ordnance, ordnance- 
stores, and ammunition on board ship. 4. 
One who uses firearms; especially, one who 
practises the art of shooting game. 
We endeavored to glean from intelligent gunners of 
that region some information relating to the habits, food, 
migrations, etc., of these birds. Shore Birds, p. 1. 
5. The loon or great northern diver. [Local, 
British.] 6. The sea-bream, Pagellus centro- 
dontus. [Ireland.] Gunner's mate, a petty offi- 
cer of a ship appointed to assist the gunner. Gunner's 
quadrant, an Instrument formerly used for estimating 
the proper elevation for guns on board ship. 
Ounnera (gun'e-ra), re. [NL., named after J. E. 
Gunnerus, a Norwegian botanist (1718-73).] A 
small genus of marsh-plants, of the order Halo- 
Reverse. 
Gun-money. Half-crown, 1669 ; 
(Size of the on- 
Field-gun Carriage. 
A, stock. B, cheek, a, lunette ; b, trail-plate ; c, c, pointing- 
rings ; (/.handle ; e, t, prolonge-hooks ; /, wheel-guard plate ; g, lock- 
chain bolt, nut, and washer; h, turn buckle, chain, and hasp for sponge 
and rammer ; i, stop for rammer-head ; , ear-plate for worm ; /, ele- 
vating-screw ; tn, under-strap ; n. implement-hook ; 0, D-ring for hand- 
spike ; y, trunnion-plate ; r, cap-square ; s, s, cap-square chains and 
keys ; I, prolonge ; z, sponge and rammer ; 3, hand-spike. 
on wooden trucks and controlled by tackles ; but the re- gun by which the hammer is controlled both in 
quirements of modern gunnery have caused wood to be re- poolrimr thft THROB and in ornlnrHnCT th > ohnriro 
placed by brass and iron or steel, and simple tackles by pow- ' ce ana in exploding tne cQarge. 
erful gearing and machinery. In the case of a field- or siege- gun-maker (gun'ma"ker), . A maker of guns 
piece the carriage unites, for traveling, with a fore part or small firearms. 
Gun-lock. 
a, hammer or cock ; 6, tumbler ; c, bridle ; rf, bridle-screw ; e, 
sear ; f. sear-screw ; g, sear-spring ; ft, sear-spring screw ; i, main- 
spring; Jk, swivel; /, 1, side-screws. 
GuHMfra scabra. 
rageee, natives of Africa, South America, Tas- 
mania, and the islands of the Pacific. They have 
very large radical leaves springing from a stout rootstock, 
and minute flowers in a crowded spike. Q. scabra, from 
Chili, is cultivated as an ornamental plant. 
gunneress (gun'er-es), . [< gunner + -fss.~\ 
A woman who acts as gunner. 
The seized cannon are yoked with seized cart-horses : 
brown-locked Demoiselle Theroigne, with pike and hel- 
met, sits there as i/unnerem. 
Carlyle, French Rev., I. vii. 5. 
