Columbiad

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large-caliber cannon designed for long-range artillery use in the 19th century
2. a type of projectile developed for such artillery to achieve great distances
3. a specific model of cannon made famous by Jules Verne's literary works set in the context of space travel

Etymology: The name of this cannon comes from "Columbia," the poetic name for the United States, and it was first applied in 1808 to a type of gun mounted at Fort Columbus on Governor's Island in New York. The fort's own name carried the same patriotic tag, so the cannon was named after the nation it was meant to defend, much as a warship might be christened for a country rather than for a person. The word then spread beyond that one fort. Its meaning stayed concrete, referring to a large, heavy piece of ordnance, so the name was never extended to abstract or figurative uses. What began as a local nickname for a particular gun became the general term for a class of big old artillery pieces.

Synonyms: cannon, artillery, gun