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fu·see also fu·zee (fy-zē)
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n.
1. A usually cone-shaped pulley with a spiral groove, used in a cord- or chain-winding clock to maintain even travel in the timekeeping mechanism as the force of the mainspring lessens in unwinding.
2.
a. A colored flare used as a warning signal for trucks and railroad trains.
b. A match with a large head capable of burning in a wind.
c. A combustible fuse for detonating explosives.
[From French fusée, spindle, rocket, flare, fuse, fusee, from Old French, spindleful of thread, from fus, spindle, from Latin fūsus.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 
fu·zee (fy-zē)
Share:
n.
Variant of fusee.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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