Gun: Old English _gonne_; Welsh _gwn_; Gaelic _gunna_. Derivation unknown, perhaps from Old French _mangonel_; dim. of Latin _mangonum_, Greek _mangonon_, a war machine. Halberd or Halbard: a long-handled weapon; _helve_ or handle; _barde_, axe. Haversack (used in 18th cent.): from German _haver-sack_, sack for oats. Helmet: Anglo-Saxon _helm_; Teutonic root _hal_ or _kal_, to cover. Howitzer: German _hautbitze_ (so written by Gen. Wolfe about 1750), older _hauffnitz_, from _haufnice_, a sling. A Czech word of time of the Hussites (15th cent.). Magazine: storehouse. Spanish _magacen_; Arabic _makhzan_, storehouse. Matross: old word for a gunner. German _matrose_; Latin _matarius_, a man who uses a mat or hammock. Mortar: called from resemblance to apothecary’s mortar. Old French _mortier_; Latin _mortarium_, from _martulus_, a hammer. Musket: French _musquet_, from the Spanish, meaning a sparrow-hawk, probably from Latin _musca_, fly, as being the smallest of hawks. First used for the firearm, 16th cent. Ordnance = Artillery, from the _ordinance_ to regulate calibre and size of guns (15th cent.). Pistol: from the city of Pistoia in Italy, where made (early 16th cent.). Pontoon: French _ponton_; Italian _pontone_, a great bridge; Latin _pont-em_, bridge. Pouch: Old French _pouche_--_poche_, pocket; Celtic _poca_, a bag. Shell: Anglo-Saxon _scell_, a thin covering; Teutonic root _skal_, to separate, peel off; a hollow ball. Shrapnel: a shell with balls inside, invented by General Shrapnel, British Army (early 19th cent.). 4. MISCELLANEOUS Base: area on which army relies for supplies and reinforcements. Formed from analogy with the base of a triangle, by the German military writer, Willisen, 1820. Greek _basis_--_bai-no_, go. Battle: French _bataille_; Italian _bataglia_; Late Latin _battalia_, _batt-ere_, from Latin _batu-ere_, to beat. Billet: French _billet_, a ticket for quarters; hence the quarters themselves. Bivouac: German _bewachen_, to watch. Bugle; short for bugle-horn, the horn of the bugle or wild ox. Old French _bugle_; Latin _buculus_, dim. of _bos_, ox, a bullock. Camp: French _camp_; Latin _campus_, field. Colours: first use temp. Elizabeth for military flags, because of their gay colours. French _couleur_; Latin _color_. Communications (used by military writers in 19th cent.): Latin _communicare_, _communis_, common. Condottieri: Italian mercenaries. Latin _conductitii_, led men. Crew: or detachment working a gun, from French _crue_, from _croître_, to grow. Drum: from Teutonic _trom_. Fife: Old German _pfifa_, a pipe. Logistics: French _logistique_; what are now called Staff duties, from _logis_, quarters, _i.e._ the Q.M.G.’s duties. Order: French _ordre_; Latin _ordin-em_.