ballista

[ buh-lis-tuh ]

/ bəˈlɪs tə /

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noun, plural bal·lis·tae

[buh-lis-tee]. /bəˈlɪs ti/.

an ancient military engine for throwing stones or other missiles.

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Origin of ballista

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

Words nearby ballista

ballicatter, ball ice, Balliol, ballism, ballismus, ballista, ballistic, ballistic camera, ballistic galvanometer, ballistic missile, ballistic pendulum

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ballista in a sentence

Trebuchet, treb′ū-shet, n. a military engine like the ballista.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
Like a modern field gun, the ballista shot low and directly toward the enemy.
Artillery Through the Ages|Albert Manucy
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
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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ballista

Origin of ballista

Words nearby ballista

Words related to ballista

How to use ballista in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ballista

Word Origin for ballista