ballista

[ buh-lis-tuh ]
See synonyms for ballista on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bal·lis·tae [buh-lis-tee]. /bəˈlɪs ti/.
  1. an ancient military engine for throwing stones or other missiles.

Origin of ballista

1
1590–1600; <Latin, probably <Greek *ballistā́s, dialectal variant of *ballistḗs, equivalent to báll(ein) to throw + -istēs-ist

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British Dictionary definitions for ballista

ballista

/ (bəˈlɪstə) /


nounplural -tae (-tiː)
  1. an ancient catapult for hurling stones, etc

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

Origin of ballista

1
C16: from Latin, ultimately from Greek ballein to throw

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