ballista
Americannoun
noun
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an ancient catapult for hurling stones, etc
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an ancient form of large crossbow used to propel a spear
Etymology
Origin of ballista
1590–1600; < Latin, probably < Greek *ballistā́s, dialectal variant of *ballistḗs, equivalent to báll ( ein ) to throw + -istēs -ist
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are at least 14 known subsets, or “cliques,” with names such as Ballista Street, Blackwood Street, Northam Street and Dial Avenue, taken from areas where leaders live.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
“When I first told Defense officials about Ballista, they stood up and said, ‘That’s what we’ve been waiting for for years.’”
From Forbes • May 17, 2012
Of course, Ballista is doing something on a much larger scale.
From Forbes • May 17, 2012
His company, DreamHammer, has spent $5 million building an operating system, Ballista, that can link and control any kind of drone or robot, armed or unarmed.
From Forbes • May 17, 2012
Ballista as used by the Romans Ballis�ta, a machine used in military operations by the ancients for hurling heavy missiles, thus serving in some degree the purpose of the modern cannon.
From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 3 Atrebates to Bedlis by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
