A portable cannon or artillery gun designed to be moved and used in open field battles rather than from fixed fortifications.
Compound of 'field' and 'piece' (Old French 'piece,' from Latin 'pettia,' part or portion). Military terminology from the 16th century when artillery became mobile enough to support field operations rather than just siege warfare.
Fieldpieces revolutionized warfare because generals could now move guns with armies rather than rely on fortress guns—this mobility fundamentally changed how battles were fought and won across Europe from the 1500s onward.
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