| ANTITANK GRENADE | Grenade with a shaped charge or heavy blast capable of penetrating light armor, concrete, and timber. |
| ARMING LEVER | A metal handle that is held in place by hand when the arming pin is pulled and will activate the delay fuse when released. (AKA “spoon,” “safety handle.”) |
| ARMING PIN | A cotter (split) or solid metal pin, usually with a pull ring or cord loop, that holds the arming lever in place until pulled to release it or activate another arming means. (AKA “safety pin.”) |
| BLAST GRENADE | Grenade relying primarily on explosive blast and concussion to inflict casualties. Secondary fragmentation may be caused. (AKA “offensive grenade.”) |
| BODY (GRENADE) | The body – usually metal – containing the explosive charge or chemical filler and housing the fuse assembly. Other materials (concrete, ceramic, fiber, plastic) are occasionally used. |
| BOOSTER CHARGE | A small, high-velocity explosive charge initiated by the detonator to ensure the main charge detonates. |
| BRISANCE | The grenade body shattering effect of HE, causing fragmentation. |
| CASUALTY RADIUS | Generally, the specified distance from a detonating grenade, defining a circle within which at least 50 percent of the targeted personnel become casualties. Criteria vary greatly between armies and periods. |
| CHEMICAL GRENADE | Grenade filled with smoke-generating, incendiary, or irritant agents. |
| COOK-OFF | The act of igniting a grenade and waiting 2–3 seconds before throwing it to prevent the enemy from throwing it back before it detonates. |
| DEFENSIVE GRENADE | Grenade generating fragmentation and blast and required to be thrown from cover. (AKA “fragmentation grenade.”) |
| DELAY TRAIN | The burning-type time-delay fuse or element allowing safe detonation/initiation of the grenade several seconds after arming. |
| DETONATING TRAIN | The series of fuse elements that detonate the grenade: primer (activated by the firing system), delay fuse, detonator, booster, and main explosive charge. |
| DETONATOR | A small explosive element detonated by the delay train to detonate the main explosive charge or initiate the chemical filler. (AKA “blasting cap.”) |
| FILLER | The grenade’s main explosive charge, incendiary, or chemical filler. |
| FILLER HOLE | A sealed opening in the grenade body into which the filler is inserted during manufacturing. Often this is the fuse well. |
| FRAGMENTATION | Irregular metal body fragments generated by the detonation of an HE-filled grenade. Incorrectly called “shrapnel” or “sharpmetal.” |
| FRAGMENTATION GRENADE | Explosive grenade intended to cause casualties by fragmentation of the body as well as blast effects. (AKA “frag grenade,” “defensive grenade.”) |
| FRAGMENTATION LINER | A metal lining inside the grenade body generating more uniform fragmentation. |
| FRAGMENTATION SLEEVE | A slip-on (add-on) pre-scored metal sleeve attached to a blast grenade’s body to generate more fragmentation. |
| FRICTION IGNITER | A pull-type device that ignites the delay train to ignite a pyrotechnic composition. |
| FUSE | The integrated assembly containing the detonator, arming, safety, and delay-train systems. |
| FUSE WELL | A threaded opening, usually in the grenade body’s top, to hold the fuse assembly. Often doubles as the filler hole. |
| IMPACT-DETONATION | A grenade fuse intended to immediately detonate the grenade upon impact with the ground or an object. |
| OFFENSIVE GRENADE | Grenade relying on blast and secondary fragmentation to inflict casualties and permitting the thrower to be somewhat exposed. (AKA “blast grenade,” “concussion grenade.”) |
| PERCUSSION IGNITER | A fuse igniter activated by striking it on a solid object to ignite the delay train. |
| PRACTICE, TRAINING, INERT, AND DUMMY GRENADES | Non-casualty producing grenades used in training and instruction. Exact definitions vary greatly between countries. |
| PULL RING | A metal ring (or cord loop) attached to an arming pin to make it easier to pull out of the fuse assembly. |
| PYROTECHNIC | Flammable chemical composition intended to create a flame or to generate colored smoke or flares for signaling purposes. |
| SECONDARY FRAGMENTATION | Fragmentation caused by an explosive detonation, but not from the grenade itself, but by nearby rocks, pebbles, wood, glass, etc. |
| SEGMENTATIONS | Scored or grooved cuts on a grenade body or attachable sleeve intended to aid in the generation of fragments. They do little to enhance this and were mainly added to ensure a firm grip on the grenade. Incorrectly called “serrations.” |
| STICK GRENADE | A grenade with a throwing handle attached, which usually contains the fuse assembly. |
A German MG 34 heavy machine gun team (Maschinengewehr-Trupp) readies their Kaffemühle (coffee mill). On the trench shelf are three Soviet RGD-33 stick grenades with add-on fragmentation sleeves, two Eihgr 39 egg grenades, and a Stg 24 stick grenade. (Courtesy of Concord Publications)