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ballista

[ buh-lis-tuh ]

/ bəˈlɪs tə /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ballista ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural bal·lis·tae [buh-lis-tee] /bəˈlɪs ti/.

an ancient military engine for throwing stones or other missiles.

Origin of ballista

1590–1600; < Latin, probably < Greek *ballistā́s, dialectal variant of *ballistḗs, equivalent to báll(ein) to throw + -istēs -ist

Words nearby ballista

ballgame, ballicatter, balliol, ballism, ballismus, ballista, ballistic, ballistic camera, ballistic galvanometer, ballistic missile, ballistic pendulum

Example sentences from the Web for ballista

No ballista, however, is made without regard to the given amount of weight of the stone which the engine is intended to throw.

Ten Books on Architecture |Vitruvius
Like a modern field gun, the ballista shot low and directly toward the enemy.

Artillery Through the Ages |Albert Manucy
The ballista (Fig. 229) was in reality a large cross-bow, built to shoot long, heavy bolts or arrows.

The Boy Craftsman |A. Neely Hall
The ballista was considerably larger and more expensive than this.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 |Various

Various names were applied to these weapons, the chief of which were the ballista and the catapult.

Great Inventions and Discoveries |Willis Duff Piercy

British Dictionary definitions for ballista

ballista

/ (bəˈlɪstə) /

noun plural -tae (-tiː)

an ancient catapult for hurling stones, etc

an ancient form of large crossbow used to propel a spear

Word Origin for ballista

C16: from Latin, ultimately from Greek ballein to throw