Lexic.us

Definition of Recoil

1. Noun. The backward jerk of a gun when it is fired.

2. Verb. Draw back, as with fear or pain. "She flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"

3. Noun. A movement back from an impact.

4. Verb. Come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect. "Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble"

5. Verb. Spring back; spring away from an impact. "These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide"

6. Verb. Spring back, as from a forceful thrust. "The gun kicked back into my shoulder"

Definition of Recoil

1. v. i. To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return.

2. v. t. To draw or go back.

3. n. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood.

Definition of Recoil

1. Noun. (context: firearms) The amount of energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle. ¹

2. Verb. To pull back, especially in disgust, horror or astonishment. ¹

3. Verb. (obsolete intransitive) To retire, withdraw. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Recoil

1. to draw back in fear or disgust [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Recoil

1. 1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood. 2. The state or condition of having recoiled. "The recoil from formalism is skepticism." (F. W. Robertson) 3. Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged. Recoil dynamometer, an instrument for measuring the force of the recoil of a firearm. Recoil escapement See the Note under Escapement. 1. To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return. "Evil on itself shall back recoil." (Milton) "The solemnity of her demeanor made it impossible . . . That we should recoil into our ordinary spirits." (De Quincey) 2. To draw back, as from anything repugnant, distressing, alarming, or the like; to shrink. 3. To turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire. "To your bowers recoil." Origin: OE. Recoilen, F. Reculer, fr. L. Pref. Re- re- + culus the fundament. The English word was perhaps influenced in form by accoil. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Recoil

recognized components recognizee recognizees recognizer recognizers recognizes recognizin' recognizing recognizor recognizors

recohere recohered recoherence recoheres recohering recoil (current term) recoil atom recoil wave recoiled recoiler

recoilers recoiling recoilingly recoilless recoilless rifle recoilless rifles recoilment recoilments recoils recoin

Literary usage of Recoil

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Chemical Effects of Alpha Particles and Electrons by Samuel Colville Lind (1921)
"General Properties of recoil Atoms. The treatment of the chemical action produced by recoil atoms does not fall under the title either of a particles or ..."

2. Text-book of Ordnance and Gunnery by William Harvey Tschappat (1917)
"isfactory counter recoil and then vi should be adjusted to give a satisfactory ... If recoil be first adjusted, it will be disturbed by the adjustment for ..."

3. The American Sportsman: Containing Hints to Sportsmen, Notes on Shooting by Elisha Jarrett Lewis, George G. White (1863)
"This opinion, however, is quite contrary to the results obtained by Commodore Stockton; for he asserts that the recoil, as indicated ..."

4. The New International Encyclopædia edited by Daniel Coit Gilman, Harry Thurston Peck, Frank Moore Colby (1903)
"The motion of the gun's trunnions in recoil is a resultant of the horizontal motion of the ... In recoil, therefore, the breech moves in a circular arc. ..."

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