How"itz*er (?), n. [G. haubitze, formerly hauffnitz, Bohem. haufnice, orig., a sling.] Mil. (a)
A gun so short that the projectile, which was hollow, could be put in its place by hand; a kind of mortar.
[Obs.] (b)
A short, light, largebore cannon, usually having a chamber of smaller diameter than the rest of the bore, and intended to throw large projectiles with comparatively small charges.
© Webster 1913.