ammunition
Definitions
Bullets, shells, and other projectiles fired from weapons.
弹药（子弹、炮弹等）。
Facts or arguments used to attack or defend a position in a dispute.
（争论中的）论据，把柄。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmunit (fortify, supply for war) + -ion (act/thing) = 'war supplies.' The odd am- at the front is a fossil: French la munition was misheard as l'amunition, gluing 'the' onto the noun. So ammunition literally carries a chunk of the French article. Today it means bullets and shells — and figuratively, the material you fire in an argument.
Root munit still carries 3 more wordsWhy It Means This
The reason ammunition starts with 'am-' but munition doesn't is one of English's famous mis-divisions. Borrowing the French phrase la munition, soldiers re-split it as l'amunition and kept the wrong boundary. The same accident gave us 'an apron' (from 'a napron') and 'an umpire' (from 'a noumpere'). Knowing this, the figurative use feels natural: a debater 'loads up on ammunition' just as a soldier stocks bullets.
Common Collocations
- 1.ammunition depot弹药库
- 2.live ammunition实弹
- 3.run out of ammunition弹药耗尽
- 4.provide ammunition提供论据/把柄
Example Sentences
- 1.
The soldiers were running low on ammunition by nightfall.
- 2.
Police seized a stockpile of weapons and live ammunition.
- 3.
His past mistakes gave his critics plenty of ammunition.
- 4.
These figures are useful ammunition in the budget debate.