catapult

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“
He was as direct as a catapult, and was just as regardful of ceremony.

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Definitions (20)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. noun A military machine for hurling missiles, such as large stones or spears, used in ancient and medieval times.
  2. noun A mechanism for launching aircraft at a speed sufficient for flight, as from the deck of a carrier.
  3. noun A slingshot.
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Examples (50)

  • On the second catapult, the men strained at a heavy crank, bending down the great beam. —  Spearwielder's Tale 3.htm
  • All six of the men on the first catapult, and one of the second crew, were downed by arrows before Kelsey and his kin got near the machine. —  Spearwielder's Tale 3.htm
  • Work on the kick pod catapult was already underway, with an estimated completion time of five days. —  Angelmass
  • But with Seraph only a couple of hours away by catapult, her first and only chance was going to be right now. —  Angelmass
  • Considering that they'd started nearly seven hundred light-years away with an essentially untested catapult, they were lucky to have gotten even this close. —  Angelmass
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. French catapulte, from Old French, from Latin catapulta, from Greek katapaltēs : kata-, cata- + pallein, to brandish, poise a weapon before hurling; see pāl- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = French catapulte = Spanish Portuguese Italian catapulta, from Latin catapulta, from Greek καταπέλτης, (occasionally -πάλτης), an engine for throwing stones, prob. from *καταπάλλειν, throw down, in passive καταπάλλεσθαι, leap down, from κατά, down, + πάλλειν, brandish, swing, hurl.
 

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/ˈkætəpəlt/
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