The Collaborative International Dictionary
Canister \Can"is*ter\ (k[a^]n"[i^]s*t[~e]r), n. [L. canistrum a basket woven from reeds Gr. ?, fr. ka`nh, ka`nna reed; cf. F. canistre. See Cane, and Canaster.]
A small basket of rushes, reeds, or willow twigs, etc.
A small box or case for holding tea, coffee, etc.
(Mil.) A kind of case shot for cannon, in which a number of lead or iron balls in layers are inclosed in a case fitting the gun; -- called also canister shot.
Wiktionary
n. An anti-personnel ammunition consisting of a cylindrical canister filled with round lead or iron balls.
WordNet
Wikipedia
Canister shot is a kind of anti-personnel ammunition used in cannons. It was similar to case and the naval grapeshot, but fired smaller and more numerous balls, which did not have to punch through the wooden hull of a ship. Canister shot has been used since the advent of gunpowder-firing artillery in Western armies; however, canister (or case) shot saw particularly frequent use on land and at sea in the various wars of the 18th and 19th century. The canister round is similar to a case (hence the confusion between case shot and canister shot) and is still used today in modern artillery, particularly in the main armament of tanks with smoothbore cannons.
Usage examples of "canister shot".
Corpses sprawled in the scuppers who had been caught by the double-shotted six-pounders, and others who had been running to repel boarders when the swivels had scoured the decks with their murderous canister shot.
Once he flinched as a high canister shot struck shards of razor sharp stone from the hole he peered through.
What lay beneath the armor was no longer human, but it reacted to the canister shot in the same fashion.
A scream answered the blast that had whipped like canister shot across the other roof.
Three field-guns fired as he watched, and the Squadron rush dissolved as the canister shot filled the roadway and bounced between the walls.
Those in the front fell kicking and screaming before a torrent of canister shot, and others caught on the end of the wall were cut down by the swivel on the poop.
He had mounted all of his guns forward so they could spray any attack with canister shot, tin canisters of grapeshot that burst in the air over the enemy.
They would soon be taken below and a gun loaded with canister shot trained on the hatch, but for the moment it was easier to guard them up in the bow.
Then the enemy ship had put missiles into the guts of the hulk with warheads o f what the FORCE:space people quaintly called canister shot.
They seemed careless of the volleys from the walls, even when canister shot tore through their ranks.
He followed these with half a dozen rounds of canister shot—.
He followed these with half a dozen rounds of canister shot-leather bags of fist-sized stones that burst when fired-and cleared away all the firefighters and soldiers who were foolish enough to expose themselves.
This was followed by two whistling sounds of canister shot, one after another.
And two hissing sounds of canister shot followed one after the other.
By the slaughter and lack of destruction in the rigging, Laurence thought the French must have been using canister shot, and indeed he could see some parts of the broken casings lying about on the deck.