Definition of windage Windage

wind•age

We found 16 definitions of windage from 8 different sources.

What does windage mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: windages
windage - the deflection of a projectile resulting from the effects of wind
		wind deflection
windage - exposure to the wind (as the exposed part of a vessel's hull which is responsible for wind resistance)
		wind exposure
windage - the space between the projectile of a smoothbore gun and the surface of the bore of the gun
windage - the retarding force of air friction on a moving object

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Wiktionary

windage (Noun)
Drag on the crankshaft caused by oil splashing out of the sump when rotating at high speeds.
windage (Noun)
The difference in diameter between the bore of a firearm and the shot.
windage (Noun)
Horizontal adjustment of the sight of a firearm.
windage (Noun)
A contusion caused by a projectile that does not enter the skin, due to either compressed air or a glancing blow.
windage (Noun)
Exposure to the wind.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

windage (n.)
The difference between the diameter of the bore of a gun and that of the shot fired from it.
windage (n.)
The sudden compression of the air caused by a projectile in passing close to another body.

Marine DictionaryUniversal Dictionary of the Marine ⚓️

windage
the difference between the diameter of a piece of artillery, and the diameter of the shot or shell corresponding thereto. See CANNON and MORTAR.

Electrical DictionaryThe Standard Electrical Dictionary 💡

windage
In a dynamo the real air gap between the armature windings and pole pieces is sometimes thus termed.

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

windage
The vacant space left between a shot and the bore of the piece to which it belongs, generally expressed by the difference of their diameters; it is for facility of loading, but the smaller it is the better will be the performance of the gun.

Military DictionaryMilitary Dictionary and Gazetteer 💥

windage
Is the space left between the bore of a piece and its projectile, and is measured by the difference of their diameters. The objects of windage are to facilitate loading, and to diminish the danger of bursting the piece; it is rendered necessary by the mechanical impossibility of making every projectile of the proper size and shape, by the unyielding nature of the material of which large projectiles are made, by the foulness which collects in the bore after each discharge, and by the use of hot and strapped shot. The true windaqe, which is the difference between the true diameters of the bore and projectile, increases slightly with the size of the bore, and is greater for solid shot, which are sometimes fired hot, than for hollow projectiles, which are never heated.
Loss of Force.--The ordinary windage of smooth-bore cannon, used in the U. S. service, is about ¹⁄₄₀ of the diameter of the bore, and the loss of force arising from the escape of gas through this windage amounts to a very considerable portion of the entire charge. The amount of loss in any case depends on: (1) The degree of windage; (2) The caliber of the gun; (3) The length of the bore; (4) The kind of powder; (5) The charge of powder; (6) The weight or density of the ball. It is probable that the influence which some of these causes exert on the force of the charge is very slight. It has been determined by experiment, that the loss of velocity by windage is proportional to the windage. It may be stated that the loss of velocity by a given windage is directly as the windage, and inversely as the diameter of the bore, very nearly.