artillerie

artillery

noun ar-tee-yuh-REE Rare

Usage Note

Artillerie refers to large-calibre weapons and the military branch that operates them. The key silent letters: the final -e is silent and the -ll- is a palatal /j/ sound. Pièce d'artillerie means an artillery piece (cannon). France's Grande Armée under Napoleon was famous for its effective use of artillery, and the word appears frequently in historical writing about French military campaigns.

Examples

"L'artillerie a ouvert le feu à l'aube."

Natural Translation

The artillery opened fire at dawn.

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