Howitzer groups called batteries. The English word ""howitzer"" comes from the Czech word ""houfnice"", from "houf", "crowd", and "houf" is in turn a borrowing from the Middle High German word "Hūfe" or "Houfe" (modern German "Haufen"), meaning "heap". "Haufen", sometimes in the compound "Gewalthaufen", also designated a pike square formation in German. In the Hussite Wars of the 1420s and 1430s, the Czechs used short barreled ""houfnice"" cannons to fire at short distances into crowds of infantry, or into charging heavy cavalry, to make horses shy away. The word was rendered into German as "aufeniz" in the earliest attested use in
Czech name thousands of Czech surnames (singular and plural: "příjmení"). These are similar in origin to English ones and may reflect: What is not shared with English but is similar to North American native languages is the extremely colorful nature of some Czech surnames, such as "Brzobohatý" (Soon to be rich), "Volopich" (Pricking an ox), "Urvinitka" (Tear a string), "Rádsetoulal" (Liked wandering around), "Stojaspal" (Slept standing), "Vítámvás" (I welcome you), "Tenkrát" (Back in those days), "Schovajsa" (Hide yourself!), "Nebojsa" (Don't be afraid!), "Skočdopole" (Jump in a field!), "Vozihnoj" (Driving with manure), "Osolsobě" (Salt for yourself!), "Ventluka" (Knocking outward), "Nejezchleba" (Don't eat bread!),