a long slender piece of ordnance or artillery, serving to carry a ball to a great distance. Manege derives the word from the Latin colubrina; others from coluber, "snake;" either on account of the length and slenderness of the piece, or of the ravages it makes.

There are three kinds of culverins, viz. the extraordinary, the ordinary, and the least sized. 1. The culverin extraordinary has 5 inches bore; its length 32 calibers, or 13 feet; weighs 4800 pounds; its load above 12 pounds; carries a shot 5 inches diameter, weighing 20 pounds weight. 2. The ordinary culverin is 12 feet long; carries a ball of 17 pounds 5 ounces; caliber 5 inches; its weight 4500 pounds. 3. The culverin of the least size, has its diameter 5 inches; is 12 feet long; weighing about 4000 pounds; carries a shot 3 inches diameter, weighing 14 pounds 9 ounces.