Beebee

/ˈbiːbiː/ noun

Definition

A small round pellet of lead or steel, typically used as ammunition in air rifles or BB guns.

Etymology

From the letter name 'B' doubled (B.B.), representing the size designation of the pellet. This spelling preserves the original alphabetic origin better than the contracted 'bb' form.

Kelly Says

The fact that we spell out ammunition with letter names is genuinely quirky—BB, CC, and other shot sizes are literally named after letters because someone measured them that way. It's like we locked in a naming mistake and kept it forever!

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