noun
breech
BREECH
noun
1
The back part of a gun barrel, where the ammunition is loaded, behind the firing chamber.
"The rifle is loaded from the breech rather than the muzzle."
2
Used to describe a baby positioned to be born bottom- or feet-first instead of head-first.
"The scan showed the baby was breech at 34 weeks."
"Doctors discussed a caesarean because of the breech position."
How to Use Breech
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishIn guns, the loading end; in childbirth, feet/bottom-first instead of head-first.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "breach" (a gap, violation, or breaking through) — they sound identical but mean completely different things.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
breech birth
breech baby
breech-loading rifle
Word Forms
breeched past tense, breeches plural, breeches singular
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The rifle is loaded from the _____ rather than the muzzle.
Etymology
From Old English brēċ, the plural of a word meaning leg-covering or trousers — the same root that gives us "breeches".