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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
The small nocturnal arachnid has been nicknamed the ballista spider after the ancient Roman siege weapon that launched bolts and stones using stored tension.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
"The ballista spider's snare is bioengineered to store elastic energy in the silk and rapidly release it, giving it incredible instantaneous power density -- greater than any other specialized silk-based biological catapults," said Professor Narendra.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
Though it is yet to be formally named, scientists have nicknamed the tiny spider "ballista", after the ancient weapon used to hurl stones in battle.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The distinctive shape—two ball-shaped curves flanking an imposing central column—is much closer to Game of Thrones’ weaponry than a torsion-driven ballista.
From Slate ● May 7, 2019
The Argo II turned in the sky, presenting its port side, and green fire blazed from the ballista.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
“Scorpions,” ballistae developed by Hand of the Queen Qyburn, posed the primary threat to Drogon.
From Slate ● May 13, 2019
Although many people have identified the scorpion as a type of ballista, it lacks the torsion springs that ballistae use to thrust their projectile forward with such incredible force.
From Slate ● May 7, 2019
“Bah. Fine. Just don’t take too long, or I’m coming after you with ballistae blazing.”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Shrimpzilla must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that Leo couldn’t use the ballistae without setting the Argo II on fire as well.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
The engineers had built a stone fortress with an iron portcullis, guard towers, scorpion ballistae, water cannons, and no doubt many other nasty surprises for the defenders to use.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
