ballistics

[buh-lis-tiks]

noun (usually used with a singular verb)

the science or study of the motion of projectiles, as bullets, shells, or bombs.

the art or science of designing projectiles for maximum flight performance.

Nearby words

Origin of ballistics

First recorded in 1745–55; see origin at ballistic, -ics

Related formsbal·lis·ti·cian

[bal-uh-stish-uh n] /ˌbæl əˈstɪʃ ən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ballistics

He admitted in court that he was not a pathologist, and that he did not have any formal training in ballistics or sound.
Disastrous Turn By Star Witness For Pistorius Defense|Kelly Berold|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As he puts it in terms that could apply to ballistics, he is “plotting an arc of motions that plotted me.”
Joseph McElroy’s ‘Cannonball’ Is the Meta Iraq War Novel|Tom LeClair|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But DiMaio, with his ballistics and forensic credentials, may have been more persuasive.
Experts: George Zimmerman Just Caught a Big Break|Christine Pelisek|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To be sure, there are professorships, and ballistics experts in the Navy, but these aren't actually all that well paid.
Educational Inequality|Megan McArdle|June 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

(The cases were linked through DNA and ballistics evidence).
Hunt for L.A.’s ‘Teardrop Rapist’ May Hinge on Familial DNA Testing|Christine Pelisek|June 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A ballistics man from Ranger crime-lab followed him to the stand and testified that it had been fired from Longfellow's Colt.
Lone Star Planet|Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire
May I congratulate you, Mr. Morrison, on this interesting achievement in ballistics?
Average Jones|Samuel Hopkins Adams
Forensic, having to do with the law; ballistics, the science of projectiles.
The Arrow of Fire|Roy J. Snell
What experience have you had in, say, the field of ballistics?
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Finally, the ballistics expert was brought back to the stand again, to link the two by means of fragments found in the car.
Lone Star Planet|Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

British Dictionary definitions for ballistics

ballistics

noun

(functioning as singular) the study of the flight dynamics of projectiles, either through the interaction of the forces of propulsion, the aerodynamics of the projectile, atmospheric resistance, and gravity (exterior ballistics), or through these forces along with the means of propulsion, and the design of the propelling weapon and projectile (interior ballistics)

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

Word Origin and History for ballistics

ballistics

1753, "art of throwing; science of projectiles," with -ics + Latin ballista "ancient military machine for hurling stones," from Greek ballistes, from ballein "to throw, to throw so as to hit," also in a looser sense, "to put, place, lay;" from PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach," in extended senses "to pierce" (cf. Sanskrit apa-gurya "swinging," balbaliti "whirls, twirls;" Greek bole "a throw, beam, ray," belemnon "dart, javelin," belone "needle"). Here, too, probably belongs Greek ballizein "to dance," literally "to throw one's body," ancient Greek dancing being highly athletic.

Science definitions for ballistics

ballistics

[bə-lĭs′tĭks]

The scientific study of the characteristics of projectiles, such as bullets or missiles, and the way they move in flight.