Shrapnel Definition
shrăpnəl
noun
An artillery shell filled with an explosive charge and many small metal balls, designed to explode in the air over the objective.
Webster's New World
Any fragments scattered by an exploding shell, bomb, etc.
Webster's New World
The balls scattered by such an explosion.
Webster's New World
(slang) Loose change.
Wiktionary
Debris caused by action of persons or animals.
The dog did not eat my sandwich. It was in a bag. If he had eaten my sandwich, there'd be shrapnel all over the place from him tearing open the bag.
Wiktionary
Origin of Shrapnel
From Henry Shrapnel, British army officer who invented an anti-personnel shell that transported a large number of bullets to the target before releasing them, at a far greater distance than rifles could fire the bullets individually. The surname is likely a metathesised form of Charbonnel, a diminutive of Old French "charbon" (charcoal) in reference to hair colour, complexion, or the like.
From Wiktionary
After Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842), British army officer
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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