Fragments of metal or other material scattered by an explosion, especially from a bomb or shell.
Named after Henry Shrapnel, a British military officer who invented an explosive artillery shell in the early 1800s that scattered metal fragments. The word entered general use to describe any fragments from explosions.
This word is a rare example of a common term derived from a person's actual name—Shrapnel became so useful describing his invention that we still use his surname as a regular noun, just like 'sandwich' comes from the Earl of Sandwich.
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