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breech

Pronunciation: /briːtʃ/

Translate breech | into Italian

Definition of breech

noun

1the part of a cannon behind the bore.
the back part of a rifle or gun barrel: the 47-round ammunition drum fits over the breech

2 archaic a person’s buttocks.

verb

[with object] archaic

dress (a boy) in breeches after he has been in petticoats since birth: in those days it wasn’t customary to breech a boy until he was about four

Origin:

Old English brēc (plural of brōc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch broek), interpreted as a singular form. The original sense was 'garment covering the loins and thighs' (compare with breeches), hence 'the buttocks' (breech (sense 2 of the noun), mid 16th century), later 'the hind part' of anything

Do not confuse breach with breech. Breach means 'break an agreement or rule' (they breached the Data Protection Act), 'break through something', or 'a gap', whereas breech means 'the back part of a gun barrel'.

breech in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of breech in the US English dictionary

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