ballista

[ buh-lis-tuh ]
/ bəˈlɪs tə /

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

Example sentences from the Web for ballistae

British Dictionary definitions for ballistae

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