This is a list of established military terms which have been in use for at least 50 years. Since technology and doctrine have changed over time, not all of them are in current use, or they may have been superseded by more modern terms. However, they are still in current use in articles about previous military periods. Some of them like ''camouflet'' have been adapted to describe modern versions of old techniques.

Administrative

Cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...

: a temporary or semi-permanent military quarters; in South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations. * Logistics * Materiel (also ''matériel'') * Military supply chain management * Staging area

Intelligence

Signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...

(SIGINT) and signals intelligence in modern history ** Electronic intelligence (ELINT) *** High-frequency direction finding (nicknamed ''huff-duff'') is the common name for a type of radio direction finding employed especially during the two world wars. ** Communications intelligence (COMINT) * Human intelligence (HUMINT) *

Imagery intelligence Imagery intelligence (IMINT), pronounced as either as ''Im-Int'' or ''I-Mint'', is an intelligence gathering discipline wherein imagery is analyzed (or "exploited") to identify information of intelligence value. Imagery used for defense intelli ...

(IMINT) * Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) * Open-source intelligence (OSINT)

On land

* Demilitarized zone (DMZ): Area that is specifically established to be free from military presence or action. Often used to create a buffer between two conflicting states to prevent accidental border skirmishes and established by treaty or a third party peace keeper. *

No man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

: land that is not occupied or, more specifically, land that is under dispute between countries or areas that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty, or for tactical or strategical considerations. No man's land was what the Allied Expeditionary Force under the command of General Pershing would refer to the land separating the fronts of the two opposing armies, as it was deadly to be there.

Arms and services

* Artillery includes any engine used for the discharge of large projectiles. *

Artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

: an organized group of artillery pieces (previously artillery park). * Also see below Artillery

Doctrinal

These terms are used for talking about how armed forces are used. Many of the terms below can be applied to combat in other environments although most often used in reference to land warfare. * Ambush: carrying out a surprise attack on an enemy that passes a concealed position. * Artillery barrage: a line or barrier of exploding artillery shells, created by continuous and co-ordinated fire of a large number of guns. * Battalia: an army or a subcomponent of an army such as a battalion in battle array (common military parlance in the 17th century). * Blockade: a ring of naval vessels surrounding a specific port or even an entire nation. The goal is to halt the movement of goods which could help the blockaded nation's war effort. *

Booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...

* Breach: a gap in fortified or battle lines. * Breakout: exploiting a breach in enemy lines so that a large force (division or above) passes through. * Bridgehead and its varieties known as

beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The ...

s and airheads. * Charge: a large force heads directly to an enemy to engage in close quarters combat, with the hope of breaking the enemy line. *

Chequered retreat A Chequered retreat, (''retraite en échiquier'', Fr.) is so called from the several component parts of a pre-mechanised line or battalion, which alternately retreat and face about in the presence of an enemy, exhibiting the figure of the chequered ...

, (''retraite en échiquier'', Fr.) a line or battalion, alternately retreating and facing about in the presence of an enemy, exhibiting a deployment like chequered squares *

Column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

: a formation of soldiers marching in files in which the files is significantly longer than the width of ranks in the formation. * Counterattack * Counter-battery fire * '' Coup de grâce'': a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded soldier; also applied to severely damaged ships (called scuttling when applied to friendly ships). * '' Coup de main'': a swift pre-emptive strike. * '' Debellatio'': to end a war by complete destruction of a hostile state. More severe than sacking. * Decisive victory: an overwhelming victory for one side, often shifting the course of conflict. * Defilade: a unit or position is "defiladed" if it is protected from direct exposure to enemy fire; see also Hull-down. *

DUSTOFF Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualty (person), casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and ...

: a now traditional call sign for US Army Air Ambulance helicopter operations engaging in MEDEVAC. * Echelon formation: a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally. * Encirclement: surrounding enemy forces on all sides, isolating them. * Enfilade: a unit (or position) is "enfiladed" when enemy fire can be directed along the long axis of the unit. For instance, a trench is enfiladed if the enemy can fire down the length of the trench. May also refer to placing a unit in a position to enfilade, or the position so enfiladed. * Envelope * Extraction point: the location designated for reassembly of forces and their subsequent transportation out of the battle zone. * Fabian strategy: avoiding pitched battles in order to wear down the enemy in a war of attrition. *

Fighting withdrawal A tactical withdrawal or retreating defensive action is a type of military operation, generally meaning that retreating forces draw back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to ...

: pulling back military forces while maintaining contact with the enemy. * File: a single column of soldiers. * Flanking maneuver: to attack an enemy or an enemy unit from the side, or to maneuver to do so. * Forlorn hope: a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high. * Frontal assault or frontal attack: an attack toward the front of an enemy force. *

Garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

: a body of troops holding a particular location on a long-term basis. * Guerrilla tactics: attacking the enemy and the subsequent breaking off of contact and retreating; also referred to as "hit-and-run tactics". * ''

Hors de combat ''Hors de combat'' (; ) is a French term used in diplomacy and international law to refer to persons who are incapable of performing their combat duties during war. Examples include persons parachuting from their disabled aircraft, as well as ...

'': a unit out of the fight, surrendered, wounded (when incapacitated), and so on. * Infantry square, pike square, or schiltron *

Infiltration Infiltration may refer to: Science, medicine, and engineering *Infiltration (hydrology), downward movement of water into soil *Infiltration (HVAC), a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning term for air leakage into buildings *Infiltration (me ...

* Interdiction: to attack and disrupt enemy supply lines. * Killing field * Lodgement: an enclave made by increasing the size of a bridgehead. * MEDEVAC: the tactical medical evacuation of wounded from the field of battle by air, bringing them to a higher level of medical care and treatment, e.g. from a forward field location or a forward aid station to a combat support hospital, forward surgical team or other treatment facility able to provide significant stabilizing care or definitive treatment to the injured. * Melee or ''Mêlée'' *

Mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

: A place where troops gather for their meals * Mikes:

Minute The minute is a unit of time usually equal to (the first sexagesimal fraction) of an hour, or 60 seconds. In the UTC time standard, a minute on rare occasions has 61 seconds, a consequence of leap seconds (there is a provision to insert a nega ...

s. When used in normal vernacular speaker will say will be ready in X-Mikes where X represents number of minutes. *

Mobile column Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ...

s, or movable columns (French: or ) — in contrast to stationary troops ''troupes sédentaire''. This may be used as a bureaucratic description to describe the function for which troops are raised for example the regiments of the Highland Fencible Corps were raised for garrison duties while Scottish line regiments in the British Army were raised to fight anywhere; or it may be an operational description. * No quarter given: all enemy troops are to be killed, even those who surrender. Also referred to as "take no prisoners". * Overwatch: tactical technique in which one unit is positioned in a vantage position to provide perimeter surveillance and immediate fire support for another friendly unit. * Patrolling * Parthian shot * Phalanx * Pickets (or ''picquet''s): sentries or advance troops specifically tasked with early warning of contact with the enemy. A soldier who has this job is on "picket duty", and may also be referred to as a "lookout." (see also Vedette, a mounted sentry or outpost) *

Pincer maneuver The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation. This classic maneuver holds an important foothold throughout the history of warfare. The pin ...

* Pitched battle *

Pocket A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets are also attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items. In older usage, a pocket was a separate small bag o ...

: see "salient". *

Pyrrhic victory A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress. The phrase originates from a quote from P ...

: a victory paid for so dearly that it potentially could lead to a later defeat ("a battle won, a war lost"). * Raid * Rank: a single line of soldiers. * Reconnaissance * Retreat: withdrawal of troops from a battlefield (can be either orderly or unorderly; fighting or by rout). * Rout: disorderly withdrawal of troops from a battlefield following a defeat, either real or perceived. * Sack: the destruction and looting of a city, usually after an assault. * Safe-guard: individual soldiers or detachments placed to prevent resources (often farms full of crops and livestock) from being looted or plundered * Salients: a pocket or "bulge" in a fortified or battle line. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a "re-entrant". *

Scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted, which usually includes obvious weapons, transport vehicles, communi ...

: the deliberate destruction of resources in order to deny their use to the enemy. * Scuttlebutt: For gossip or water fountain. * Scuttling: the deliberate destruction of a ship to prevent its capture and use by an enemy. Commonly used as a '' coup de grâce'', but has also been a protest (as after the First World War). *

Shield wall A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...

: the massed use of interconnected shields to form a wall in battle. * Shield wall (fortification): the highest and thickest wall of a castle protecting the main assault approach. *

Shoot and scoot Shoot-and-scoot (alternatively, fire-and-displace or fire-and-move) is an artillery tactic of firing at a target and then immediately moving away from the location from where the shots were fired to avoid counter-battery fire (e.g. from enemy ar ...

: a type of fire-and-movement tactic used by artillery to avoid counter-battery fire. * Siege: a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault in the later phase. **Siege ''en régle'': A siege where a city or fortress is invested but no bombardment or assault takes place. Instead, the besieger attempts to persuade the defenders to surrender through negotiation, inducement, or through privations such as starvation. This may be done because the fortress is too strong for the attackers to capture through bombardment and assault, or because if the fortification when captured is undamaged it immediately becomes a functional strong point for the former besiegers. ** Circumvallation: a line of fortifications built by the attackers around the besieged fortification facing towards it. ** Contravallation: a second line of fortifications behind the circumvallation facing away from the enemy fort to protect the besiegers from attacks by allies of the besieged. ** Escalade: the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times. ** '' Chevaux de frise'': sword blades chained together to incapacitate people trying to charge into a breach in the walls. **

Investment Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing i ...

: surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape. **

Military mining Tunnel warfare involves war being conducted in tunnel and other underground cavities. It often includes the construction of underground facilities (mining or undermining) in order to attack or defend, and the use of existing natural caves and ...

, undermining of defence positions either fortifications or enemy front line trenches (see also camouflet). ** Parallel trenches ** Sapping: digging approach trench towards enemy fortifications within range of the besieged guns. ** Siege engines: specialised weapons used to overcome fortifications of a besieged fort or town; in modern times, the task has fallen to large artillery pieces. **

Siege train A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

: specialised siege artillery moved in a column by road or by rail. ** Siege tower: a wooden tower on wheels constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification. *

Sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

(also "to sally (forth)"): a sudden attack against a besieging enemy from within a besieged fort or town. * Surrender at discretion: unconditional surrender instead of surrendering with terms. * Skirmish *

Switch position In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

: A defensive position oblique to, and connecting, successive defensive positions paralleling the front. *

thunder run Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

: quick surprise penetration attack deep into enemy territory, designed to confuse and potentially break enemy lines and take a city. * Vedette, a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc. * Withdrawal (military): retreat (i.e., pulling back) of troops from a battlefield (can be either orderly or unorderly; fighting or by rout)

Ordnance

These terms concern identification of means of combat to inflict damage on the opponent.

Edged

Weapons that inflict damage through cutting or stabbing. *

Bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

* Bill (weapon) * Danish axe * Halberd *

Hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

* Knife or Dagger * Lance * Pole weapon or poleaxe * Pike (weapon) * Partisan (weapon) * Sabre * Spear *

Sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

Projectile munitions

Munitions are weapons and ordnance that inflict damage through impact.

=Individual

= * Bow (weapon) * Crossbow * Sling (weapon) and slingshot (hand catapult) Firearms * Carbine * Machine gun *

Musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

Pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

Rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

Shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

Submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

=Artillery

= Crew-served, non-vehicle mounted weapons * Ballista *

Catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...

* Mangonel * Onager (siege weapon) * Trebuchet Guns * Bombard (weapon) * Cannon **

Autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bull ...

** Basilisk **

Bombard __NOTOC__ Bombard may refer to the act of carrying out a bombardment. It may also refer to: Individuals *Alain Bombard (1924–2005), French biologist, physician and politician; known for crossing the Atlantic on a small boat with no water or food ...

Carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

** Culverin ** Demi-cannon ** Demi-culverin ** Falconet ** Hand cannon ** Minion ** Saker * Gun **

Field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...

** Naval artillery *

Howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

Mortar (weapon) A mortar is usually a simple, lightweight, man-portable, muzzle-loaded weapon, consisting of a smooth-bore (although some models use a rifled barrel) metal tube fixed to a base plate (to spread out the recoil) with a lightweight bipod mount and a ...

Explosives

Explosive ordnance causes damage through release of chemical energy. *

Artillery shell A shell, in a military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context. Modern usage ...

* Bangalore torpedo * Camouflet *

Grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

Hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

** Rifle grenade (see also

Grenade launcher A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...

) ** Rocket propelled grenade * Land mine **

Anti-tank mine An anti-tank mine (abbreviated to "AT mine") is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive c ...

** Anti-personnel mine

Incendiary

Incendiary ordnance causes damage through release of heat. *

Flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...

Greek fire Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning . Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact w ...

* Napalm * White phosphorus

Vehicles

* Armored car *

Chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

* Half-track * Armored personnel carrier * Tank *

Tank destroyer A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...

Engineering

:''See also

List of fortifications This is a list of fortifications past and present, a fortification being a major physical defensive structure often composed of a more or less wall-connected series of forts. Individual fortifications ''listed by name'' *A Famosa, built in the 1 ...

'' * Abatis: a defensive obstacle consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row. * Banquette, or fire step *

Barbed wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...

* Bartizan: a cylindrical turret or sentry post projecting beyond the parapet of a fort or castle *

Bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

* Bastion fortress: a star-shaped fortress surrounding a town or city (also known as ''star fort'' or ''Trace italienne''). * Battery: an artillery position, which may be fortified. * Berm * Blast wall: a barrier for protection from high explosive blast. *

Blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

: a) Medieval and Renaissance - a small artillery tower, b) 18th and 19th centuries - a small colonial wooden fort, c) 20th century - a large concrete defensive structure. * Breastwork *

Bulwark Bulwark primarily refers to: * Bulwark (nautical), a nautical term for the extension of a ship's side above the level of a weather deck * Bastion, a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification The Bulwark primarily refe ...

* Bunker: a heavily fortified, mainly underground, facility used as a defensive position; also commonly used as command centres for high-level officers. * Caponier: a defensive firing position either projecting into, or traversing the ditch of a fort. * Carnot wall: a wall pierced with loopholes, sited above the scarp of a ditch but below the rampart. *

Casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...

: a vaulted chamber for protected storage, accommodation or if provided with an embrasure, for artillery *

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

** Medieval fortification *** Arrow slit (arrow loop, loophole) ***

Barbican A barbican (from fro, barbacane) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer fortifications, defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe ...

*** '' Chemin de ronde'' ***

Concentric castle A concentric castle is a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, such that the outer wall is lower than the inner and can be defended from it. The layout was square (at Belvoir and Beaumaris) where the terrain permitted, or an irregu ...

***

Drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

*** Gatehouse ***

Keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

or donjon ***

Moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

***

Machicolation A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at t ...

*** Murder-hole ***

Portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

* Citadel * Counterscarp: the opposing side of a ditch in front of a fortification, i.e., the side facing it. * Counterscarp gallery: a firing position built into the counterscarp wall of the ditch. *

Counter mine Tunnel warfare involves war being conducted in tunnel and other underground cavities. It often includes the construction of underground facilities (mining or undermining) in order to attack or defend, and the use of existing natural caves and ...

: anti-siege tunnel dug by a fortification's defenders below an attacker's mine with the intent of destroying it before the attackers are able to damage (the foundations of) the fortification's walls. * Coupure *

Covertway In military architecture, a covertway or covered way (french: chemin couvert it, strada coperta) is a path on top of the counterscarp of a fortification. It is protected by an embankment which is made up by the crest of the glacis. It is able t ...

* Defensive fighting position; for example, a

rifle pit A defensive fighting position (DFP) is a type of Earthworks (engineering)#Military use, earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate anything from one soldier to a fire team (or similar sized unit). Termin ...

, sangar or fox hole. * Demi-lune * Ditch: a dry moat. * Dragon's teeth: Triangular obstacles acting as roadblocks for armoured vehicles. * Dutch Water Line: a series of water-based defensive measures designed to flood large areas in case of attack. *

Earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour * Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), m ...

* Embrasure: an opening in a parapet or casemate, for a gun to fire through. * Fascine is a bundle of sticks or similar, were used in military defences for revetting (shoring up) trenches or ramparts, especially around artillery batteries, or filling in ditches and trenches during an attack. * Flèche: an arrow shaped

outwork An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...

, smaller than a

ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle ...

or a

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...

, with 2 faces with a parapet and an open

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

* Fort * Fortification *

Fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

* Gabion: a large basket filled with earth, used to form a temporary parapet for artillery *

Glacis A glacis (; ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in bastion fort, early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More genera ...

: a bank of earth sloping away from the fort, to protect it from direct artillery fire *

Gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

: opening at the rear of an outwork for access by defending troops from the main defensive position * Hill fort (New Zealand: Pa (Māori)) *

Lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...

: an outwork consisting of a salient angle with two flanks and an open gorge. *

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

: a protected place within a fort, where ammunition is stored and prepared for use. * Mining: a siege method used since antiquity against a walled city, fortress or castle, where tunnels are dug to undermine the foundations of the walls; also see counter-mine. *

Outwork An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...

: a minor defence, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. * Parapet: a wall at the edge of the rampart to protect the defenders. * Pillbox: a small concrete guard post. * Polygonal fort: a later type of fort without bastions. * Rampart: The main defensive wall of a fortification. *

Ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle ...

: a triangular fortification in front of bastion as a detached outwork. * Redan: a V-shaped salient angle toward an expected attack, made from earthworks or other material. * Redoubt: a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, which can be constructed of earthworks, stone or brick. * Reduit: an enclosed defensive emplacement inside a larger fort; provides protection during a persistent attack. * Sangar: a small temporary fortified position with a breastwork originally of stone, but built of sandbags and similar materials in modern times. * Sally port * Sapping *

Scarp Scarp may refer to: Landforms and geology * Cliff, a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure * Escarpment, a steep slope or long rock that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevatio ...

: the side of a ditch in front of a fortification facing away from it. *

Sconce Sconce may refer to: *Sconce (fortification), a military fortification *Sconce (light fixture) *Sconcing, imposing a penalty in the form of drink *Sconce Point Fort Victoria is a former military fort on the Isle of Wight, England (), built to ...

: a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork, often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery. *

Sea fort 300px, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, an example of an Early Modern coastal defense Coastal defence (or defense) and coastal fortification are measures taken to provide protection against military attack at or ...

: a coastal fort entirely surrounded by the sea, either built on a rock or directly onto the sea bed. * Slighting: the deliberate destruction of an (abandoned) fortification without opposition from its (former) occupants and/or defenders. *

Star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

: a star-shaped fortress surrounding a town or city (also known as ''Bastion fortress'' or ''Trace italienne''). * Tenaille (archaic Tenalia): an advanced pincer-shaped defensive work in front of the main defences of a fortress. * Terreplein: the fighting platform on top of a rampart, behind the parapet. * '' Tête-de-pont'': a temporary defensive work defending a bridge at the end closest to the enemy. * '' Trace italienne'': a star-shaped fortress surrounding a town or city (also known as ''Bastion fortress'' or ''star fort''). * Trench

Geographic

* Defile: a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front. * Debouch: **To emerge from a defile or similar into open country; **A fortification at the end of a defile; **Water that flows out of a defile into a wider place such as a lake.

Naval

Arms and services

These terms concern combat arms and supporting services of armed forces used in naval warfare.

Doctrinal

These terms concern the type of use of naval armed forces. * Blockade * '' Coup de grâce'': a final shot intended to finish off a sinking (enemy) ship (which should be distinguished from scuttling). * Crossing the Tee * Vanguard—the leading part of an advancing military formation *

Line astern The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...

line ahead The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...

, or line of battle * Raking fire * Scuttling * Weather gage

Operational

* Adrift: Loose and out of control. Typically applied to a ship or vessel that has lost power and is unable to control its movement. * Aft: Any part of the ship closer to the stern than you currently are. * All Hands: The entire ship's crew to include all officers and enlisted. * Aye, Aye: Response acknowledging and understanding a command. * Bow: Front of the ship. * Below: Any deck beneath the one you are currently on. * Carry on: An order given to continue work or duties. * Cast off: To throw off, to let go, to unfurl. * Colours: Raising and lowering of the National Ensign, the National flag, and organization flags. *

Fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an International Standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally-accepted non-SI unit. Hi ...

: Unit of measurement generally used for depth from sea level to sea floor. * General Quarters: Battle stations. Generally set when the ship is about to engage in battle or hostile activities. * Jettison: To throw or dispose of something over the side of the ship. * Ladder: Also known as a ladder well. Much like civilian stairs, however much steeper. * Leave: Vacation time nearly completely free unless an emergency recall occurs. * Shore leave or Liberty (US): Permission to leave the ship/base to enjoy non-work activities. * Mid-watch: Tends to be the midnight to 0400 watch. Also known as "balls to four" due to military time equivalent 0000-0400. * Port Side: Left hand side of the ship. * Quarters: Generally the morning assembly of all hands for muster and accountability. *

Starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

: Right hand side of the ship. *

Stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

: Rear of the ship. * Taps: Lights out, time to sleep. * Turn to: Start working. * Working Aloft: Working above the highest deck, generally performing maintenance on the ship's mast or antennas.

Ordnance

* Sea mine * Torpedo * Turret

Vessels

Aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

* Helicopter carrier *

Escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

Fleet carrier A fleet carrier is an aircraft carrier designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy. The term was developed during World War II, to distinguish it from the escort carrier and other less capable types. In addition to many medium-siz ...

* Light carrier *

Fighter catapult ship Fighter catapult ships also known as Catapult Armed Ships were an attempt by the Royal Navy to provide air cover at sea. Five ships were acquired and commissioned as Naval vessels early in the Second World War, and these were used to accompany conv ...

* Catapult aircraft merchant ship *

Merchant aircraft carrier A merchant aircraft carrier (also known as a MAC ship, the Admiralty's official 'short name') was a limited-purpose aircraft carrier operated under British and Dutch civilian registry during World War II. MAC ships were adapted by adding a flig ...

* Aircraft maintenance carrier *

Flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

* Special service ship * Troopship * Ship's tender * Attack transport *

Battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

* Dreadnought * Pocket battleship *

Seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

Sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

Battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

Cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

* Heavy cruiser * Armored cruiser * Light cruiser * Scout cruiser *

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

* Destroyer escort * Destroyer flotilla leader * Destroyer depot ship *

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

Hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

* Landing Craft Air Cushion * Landing craft depot ship *

Merchant cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

* Submarine tender * Midget submarine * Cruiser submarine * Hunter-killer submarine *

Ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN – t ...

* Guided missile submarine *

Submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

* Submarine aircraft carrier * Torpedo boat *

Amphibious command ship An amphibious command ship (LCC) of the United States Navy is a large, special-purpose ship, originally designed to command large amphibious invasions. However, as amphibious invasions have become unlikely, they are now used as general comman ...

* Amphibious assault ship * Amphibious transport dock * Dock landing ship * Expeditionary transfer dock * Littoral combat ship * Coastal defence ship * Barracks ship * Patrol boat * Research vessel *

Survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...

Dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

* Torpedo trials craft * Guard ship *

Cable layer A cable layer or cable ship is a deep-sea vessel designed and used to lay underwater cables for telecommunications, electric power transmission, military, or other purposes. Cable ships are distinguished by large cable sheaves for guiding cab ...

* Cable repair ship *

Cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

* Attack cargo ship *

Vehicle cargo ship Vehicle cargo ship is a model of United States Navy ship used for the prepositioning of Army vehicles. An example of this is the USNS ''Bob Hope'' (T-AKR-300), the lead ship of her class. Auxiliary ships of the United States Navy ...

* Dry cargo ship *

Replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

* Oil tanker * Maritime prepositioning ship * Offshore supply ship * Container ship * Hospital ship * Fast combat support ship *

Expeditionary fast transport The ''Spearhead''-class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) is a United States Navy–led shipbuilding program to provide a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intra-theater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The EPFs can r ...

* Salvage ship * Instrumentation ship * Fleet ocean tug * Riverine command ship * Special operations insertion ship * High-speed transport * Maritime security cutter *

Medium endurance cutter The Medium Endurance Cutter or WMEC is a type of United States Coast Guard Cutter mainly consisting of the Famous- and ''Reliance''-class cutters. These larger cutters are under control of Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). These cutt ...

High endurance cutter The designation of high endurance cutter (WHEC) was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompass the largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as gu ...

* Fast response cutter * Marine protector * Landing ship * Tank landing ship * Icebreaker * Heavy icebreaker *

Inland construction tender Inland may refer to: Places Sweden * Inland Fräkne Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden * Inland Northern Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden * Inland Southern Hundred, a hundred of Bohuslän in Sweden * Inland Torpe Hundred, a hundred ...

* Seagoing buoy tender * Coastal buoy tender * Logistic support ship * Floating battery * Training ship * Minelayer * Mine countermeasures vessel * Minesweeper * Gunboat * Riverine gunboat * Dock landing ship * Monitor * Breastwork monitor * Riverine monitor *

Technical research ship Technical research ships were used by the United States Navy during the 1960s to gather intelligence by monitoring, recording and analyzing wireless electronic communications of nations in various parts of the world. At the time these ships were a ...

* Self defense test ship * Self-propelled radar station *

Fast sea frame ''Sea Fighter'' (FSF-1) is an experimental littoral combat ship in service with the United States Navy. Its hull is of a small-waterplane-area twin-hull (SWATH) design, provides exceptional stability, even on rough seas. The ship can operate ...

Crane ship A crane vessel, crane ship or floating crane is a ship with a crane specialized in lifting heavy loads. The largest crane vessels are used for offshore construction. Conventional monohulls are used, but the largest crane vessels are often catam ...

Aviation logistics support ship SS ''Wright'' (T-AVB-3) is one of two Aviation Logistics Support (Roll-on/Roll-off) Container Ships converted for the United States Navy in 1986, along with sister ship SS Curtiss (T-AVB-4). The ship honors aviation pioneers the Wright brothers ...

* Moored training ship * Naval trawler

Engineering

Air

Arms and services

These terms concern combat arms and supporting services of armed forces used in air warfare.

Operational

: used by air forces to indicate an aircraft mission count (''flew seven sorties'') or in the sense of a departure (''the aircraft sortied'').

Doctrinal

These terms concern the type of use of aviation armed forces.

Tactics

* Bombing: specifically area bombing,

carpet bombing Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large area bombardment done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in th ...

and pattern bombing. * Sortie: a mission flown by an aircraft

Ordnance

Bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...

* Missile

Aircraft

* Airship * Bomber *

Dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

, balloon * Fighter * Fighter bomber * Spotter plane

Engineering

References

{{reflist

External links

*
A Dictionary of Military Architecture: Fortification and Fieldworks from the Iron Age to the Eighteenth Century
' by Stephen Francis Wyley, drawings by Steven Lowe

A more comprehensive version has been published as ''A Handbook of Military Terms'' by David Moore at the same site

by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior
Military Terms Dictionary
Lookup on military terms offering you clear definitions by some of the most reliable reference works in this field.
Military acronyms and abbreviations
Terms * Established