View synonyms for ballista

ballista

[ buh-lis-tuh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural bal·lis·tae [b, uh, -, lis, -tee].

ballista

/ bəˈlɪstə /

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

C16: from Latin, ultimately from Greek ballein to throw

Trebuchet, treb′ū-shet, n. a military engine like the ballista.

Like a modern field gun, the ballista shot low and directly toward the enemy.

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

The ballista (Fig. 229) was in reality a large cross-bow, built to shoot long, heavy bolts or arrows.

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

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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