Meanings
nounmitraillade (plural mitraillades)
plural mitraillades
- historicalrareMass execution by cannon shot or (later) machine-gun, especially during the French Revolution.
The fusillades and mitraillades were conducted with the most savage coolness.
1817, John James M’Gregor, History of the French Revolution, volume III1 more example
when Collot d'Herbois and Fouché replaced him, a veritable frenzy of repression occurred, with opponents being gunned down into open graves in the so-called mitraillades.
2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 487
Origin
- Frenchmitraillade
- Englishmitraillade
Borrowed from French mitraillade.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
mitraillade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mitraillade
MLA
“mitraillade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mitraillade. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mitraillade,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mitraillade.
Source: mitraillade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.