n. & v.
n. 1 a the part of a cannon behind the bore. b the back part of a rifle or gun barrel. 2 archaic the buttocks.
v.tr. archaic put (a boy) into breeches after being in petticoats since birth. breech birth (or delivery) the delivery of a baby with the buttocks or feet foremost. breech-block a metal block which closes the breech aperture in a gun. breech-loader a gun loaded at the breech, not through the muzzle. breech-loading (of a gun) loaded at the breech, not through the muzzle.
[ OE broc, pl. brec (treated as sing. in ME), f. Gmc ]