What does ballista mean?

Definitions for ballista
bəˈlɪs təbal·lista

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ballista.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. catapult, arbalest, arbalist, ballista, bricole, mangonel, onager, trebuchet, trebucketnoun

    an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles

Wiktionary

  1. ballistanoun

    An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.

  2. Etymology: From ballista, from βαλλίστρα, from βάλλω.

Wikipedia

  1. Ballista

    The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ballistra and that from βάλλω ballō, "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant target. Developed from earlier Greek weapons, it relied upon different mechanics, using two levers with torsion springs instead of a tension prod (the bow part of a modern crossbow). The springs consisted of several loops of twisted skeins. Early versions projected heavy darts or spherical stone projectiles of various sizes for siege warfare. It developed into a smaller precision weapon, the scorpio, and possibly the polybolos.

ChatGPT

  1. ballista

    A ballista is an ancient military siege engine, similar to a crossbow, that was used to launch projectiles such as large stones or arrows. It was designed to deliver powerful, long range shots which could destroy structures or cause significant damage to enemy forces. This weapon was used mainly by the Greeks and Romans during warfare.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Ballistanoun

    an ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles

Wikidata

  1. Ballista

    The ballista, plural ballistae, was an ancient missile weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target. Developed from earlier Greek weapons, it relied upon different mechanics, using two levers with torsion springs instead of a prod, the springs consisting of several loops of twisted skeins. Early versions projected heavy darts or spherical stone projectiles of various sizes for siege warfare. It developed into a smaller sniper weapon, the scorpio, and possibly the polybolos.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Ballista

    Balista, bal-lis′ta, n. a Roman military engine in the form of a crossbow, which, like the catapulta and the onager, propelled large and heavy missiles, chiefly through the reaction of a tightly twisted rope, or else by a violent movement of levers.—adj. Ballis′tic, projectile.—ns. Ballis′tic-pen′dulum, an instrument for ascertaining the velocity of military projectiles; Ballis′tite, an improved kind of gunpowder. [L.—Gr. ballein, to throw.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. ballista

    An ancient military engine, like an enormous cross-bow, for throwing stones, darts, and javelins against the enemy with rapidity and violence. Also, the name of the geometrical cross called Jacob's staff.

Matched Categories

How to pronounce ballista?

How to say ballista in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of ballista in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of ballista in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Popularity rank by frequency of use

ballista#100000#122933#333333

Translations for ballista

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for ballista »

Translation

Find a translation for the ballista definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"ballista." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ballista>.

Discuss these ballista definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for ballista? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    ballista

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    one whose prevailing mental imagery takes the form of inner feelings of action
    A motile
    B sesquipedalian
    C askant
    D jejune

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for ballista: