The movable part at the rear of a gun's barrel that opens to load ammunition and closes to contain the explosion during firing.
From breech (the rear part of a gun barrel) from Old English brec, plus block. This technical term developed with firearms technology in the 16th-17th centuries.
The breechblock was one of the most important inventions in firearm design—it let soldiers reload guns from the rear instead of ramming powder down the front, which made rifles dramatically faster and more practical in battle.
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