shrapnel

Where does the word "shrapnel" come from? It comes from English Shrapnel, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Shrapnel’s story begins in English: Shrapnel meant “a family name.” Henry Shrapnel, a Royal Artillery lieutenant born at Bradford-on-Avon, devised in 1784 a hollow shell packed with musket balls to burst over enemy troops. It reached English by 1800s as shrapnel. The British Army adopted his shell in 1803 and used it at Waterloo; by World War I the word also covered fragments of any exploding shell. Today, shrapnel means fragments of a bomb, shell or other object thrown out by an explosion.

1. Stage 1 · English · 1784 Shrapnel "a family name", Henry Shrapnel, a Royal Artillery lieutenant born at Bradford-on-Avon, devised in 1784 a hollow shell packed with musket balls to burst over enemy troops.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s shrapnel "shell fragments", the British Army adopted his shell in 1803 and used it at Waterloo; by World War I the word also covered fragments of any exploding shell.