Etymology Map
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Shrapnel

2 stages from English to English.

Today it means fragments of a bomb, shell or other object thrown out by an explosion

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
Shrapnel
English · 1784
"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 of 2
shrapnel
English · 1800s
"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
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Read the full story

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.