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ballista

American  
[buh-lis-tuh] / bəˈlɪs tə /

noun

plural

ballistae

  1. an ancient military engine for throwing stones or other missiles.

ballista British  
/ bəˈlɪstə /

noun

  1. an ancient catapult for hurling stones, etc

  2. an ancient form of large crossbow used to propel a spear

"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

Etymology

Origin of ballista

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

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.