Shrapnel

Shrapnel, type of antipersonnel artillery shell made of a hollow metal sphere filled with musket balls or other large shot and an explosive charge detonated by an adjustable fuse. Shrapnel was invented by Lt. Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842) and first used (1804) by British forces in the Napoleonic Wars. Since World War II, the term shrapnel has usually been understood to mean exploded fragments of the shell casing.

See also: Artillery.