breech
noun /briːtʃ/
/briːtʃ/
- the part of a gun at the back where the bullets are loadedWord OriginOld English brēc (plural of brōc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch broek), interpreted as a singular form. The original sense was ‘garment covering the loins and thighs’ (compare with breeches), hence ‘the buttocks’, later ‘the hind part’ of anything.