Shrapnel
WordNet
noun
(1) Shell containing lead pellets that explodes in flight
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From Henry Shrapnel, British army officer who invented an anti-personnel shell that transported a large number of bullets to the target before releasing them, at a far greater distance than rifles could fire the bullets individually.
Noun
- a collective term for shot, fragments, or debris thrown out by an exploding shell or landmine
- loose change