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Molotov breadbasket

Molotov breadbasket noun: a cluster bomb; a munition that disperses multiple smaller explosives.

Noun

Molotov breadbasket (plural Molotov breadbaskets)

  1. A cluster bomb; a munition that disperses multiple smaller explosives.
    • Our bombardment aircraft dropped this armament in bomb-shaped 250- and 500-kilogram canisters (models AB250 and AB500). These fragmentation bombs proved to be extremely effective against live targets when discharged by a scatter drop (an adaptation of the Molotov “bread basket”).2001, Steven H. Newton, Kursk: The German View, page 187
  2. (specifically) The RRAB-3, a Soviet cluster bomb.
    • “Molotov breadbasket” is a large bomb container which, whirled by its fins, drops low, then sprays out a mass of 4 1/2 pound incendiary bombs.1940, “Soviet army's new weapons”, in Life, volume 8, number 14, page 34
    • The Russian air force dropped RRAB-3 ‘Molotov bread basket’ incendiary cluster munitions on Finland during the ‘Winter War’ in January 1940, and perhaps even earlier.2010, Gro Nystuen, Stuart Casey-Maslen, The Convention on Cluster Munitions: A Commentary, page 6

Forms of Molotov breadbasket

pluralMolotov breadbaskets
alternative formMolotov bread basket
alternative formMolotov's bread basket

Origin of Molotov breadbasket

Coined around 1940 to describe cluster munitions used in Finland by the Soviet Union during the Winter War (1939-1940). From Molotov + breadbasket, after the Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. Compare Molotov cocktail.

Questions about Molotov breadbasket

What does Molotov breadbasket mean?
Molotov breadbasket means a cluster bomb; a munition that disperses multiple smaller explosives.
What part of speech is Molotov breadbasket?
Molotov breadbasket is a noun.
What is the plural of Molotov breadbasket?
The plural of Molotov breadbasket is Molotov breadbaskets.

Words near Molotov breadbasket in the dictionary

  1. Molotoff cocktail
  2. Molotoff cocktails
  3. Molotov
  4. Molotov bread basket
  5. Molotov bread baskets
  6. Molotov breadbasket
  7. Molotov breadbaskets
  8. molotov cocktail
  9. molotov cocktails
  10. Molotov's bread basket
  11. Molotov's cocktail

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Molotov breadbasket (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “Molotov breadbasket.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/molotov_breadbasket. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.