missile
[ mis-uh l or, esp. British, -ahyl ]
/ ˈmɪs əl or, esp. British, -aɪl /
noun
an object or weapon for throwing, hurling, or shooting, as a stone, bullet, or arrow.
adjective
capable of being thrown, hurled, or shot, as from the hand or a gun.
used or designed for discharging missiles.
Origin of missile
1600–10; < Latin, neuter of
missilis, equivalent to
miss(us) (past participle of
mittere to send, throw) +
-ilis
-ile
Words nearby missile
missend,
missense,
missense mutation,
misshape,
misshapen,
missile,
missile gap,
missileer,
missileman,
missilery,
missing
Example sentences from the Web for missile
British Dictionary definitions for missile
missile
/ (ˈmɪsaɪl) /
noun
any object or weapon that is thrown at a target or shot from an engine, gun, etc
- a rocket-propelled weapon that flies either in a fixed trajectory (ballistic missile) or in a trajectory that can be controlled during flight (guided missile)
- (as modifier)a missile carrier
Word Origin for missile
C17: from Latin:
missilis, from
mittere to send