ˈhau̇ə̇tsə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Dutch houwitser, from German haubitze, from Middle High German haufnitz ballista, from Czech houfnice
: a cannon shorter than a gun of the same caliber employed to fire projectiles at medium muzzle velocities at relatively high angles of elevation at a target (as enemy artillery behind a ridge) which cannot be reached by flat-trajectory weapons