gun
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gun
A large, heavy firearm that is typically mounted on a frame and used to fire shells over long distances. Artillery guns and cannons are examples of this.
Die Armee brachte schwere Geschütze an der Front in Stellung.
The army brought heavy guns into position at the front.
The word 'Geschütz' (gun) is related to the verb 'schießen' (to shoot). The prefix 'Ge-' here forms, as it often does in German, a collective word for a type of object, in this case for heavy firearms.
Das Museum stellt historische Geschütze aus dem 18. Jahrhundert aus.
The museum displays historical guns from the 18th century.
In a military context, 'Geschütz' (gun) is often used with certain verbs. Typical combinations are 'ein Geschütz abfeuern' (to fire a gun), 'Geschütze in Stellung bringen' (to bring guns into position), or 'ein Geschütz auf ein Ziel richten' (to aim a gun at a target).
Die Soldaten brachten die schweren Geschütze in Stellung.
The soldiers brought the heavy guns into position.
The idiom 'schwere Geschütze auffahren' (to bring out the big guns) is a fixed unit. It is always used in the plural ('Geschütze') and with the verb 'auffahren' (to bring out/deploy), to describe the use of drastic measures.
Um den Vertrag zu bekommen, musste die Firma schwere Geschütze auffahren.
To get the contract, the company had to bring out the big guns.
artillery
'die Artillerie' and 'das Geschütz' are closely related because the artillery works with heavy guns. Still, they do not mean the same thing. 'Das Geschütz' is a single large firearm or a piece of equipment of this kind. 'Die Artillerie' refers to the branch of the military or to all such heavy weapons taken together. Learners may confuse the words because Geschütze belong to the artillery. If you are describing the individual piece of equipment, 'Geschütz' is more precise. If you are talking about the military unit or the whole area, you say 'Artillerie'.
Auf dem Foto sieht man ein altes Geschütz mit großen Rädern.
In the photo you can see an old gun with large wheels.
Ida schreibt in ihrem Referat über die Artillerie im Ersten Weltkrieg.
Ida is writing her presentation about artillery in the First World War.