ballista

See also: Ballista

English

Ballista, circa 50 B.C.E.

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der.

Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō

Ancient Greek βᾰ́λλω (bắllō)

Ancient Greek βαλλίστρᾱ (ballístrā)bor.

Latin ballistalbor.

English ballista

Learned borrowing from Latin ballista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra), from βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəˈlɪstə/
• Rhymes: -ɪstə

Noun

ballista (plural ballistas or ballistae or (archaic) ballistæ)

1. (weaponry, historical) An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.
   • 1967 March 1, David Binder, “Pilots Agree to Fly Higher Over Home of a Protester”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     In a telephone interview Mr. Winter said he had fired 120 homemade knödel (dumplings) last weekend with his specially designed ballista, a Roman engine of war using the crossbow principle.

     (Can we archive this URL?)

Related terms

• ballistic
• ballistics

Translations

crossbow-like military engine for hurling large missiles

• Arabic: عَرَّادَة (ʕarrāda)
• Bulgarian: балиста f (balista)
• Catalan: balista f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 弩炮 (zh) (nǔpào)

• Czech: balista f
• Finnish: ballista (fi)
• French: baliste (fr) m, malvesine (fr) f
• Greek: βαλλίστρα (el) f (vallístra)

  Ancient Greek: βαλλίστρα f (ballístra)

• Italian: balista (it) f
• Latin: ballista f
• Persian: خرکمان (xarkamân), عراده (fa) ('arrâde)
• Polish: balista (pl) f
• Portuguese: balista (pt) f
• Romanian: balistă (ro) f
• Russian: балли́ста (ru) f (ballísta)
• Spanish: balista f
• Swedish: ballista c
• Turkish: balista

  Ottoman Turkish: منجنیق (mencenik, mancınık)

See also

• catapult

Finnish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin ballista.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɑlːistɑ/, [ˈbɑ̝lːis̠tɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑlːistɑ
• Syllabification^(key): bal‧lis‧ta
• Hyphenation^(key): bal‧lis‧ta

Noun

ballista

1. ballista (military engine)

Declension

Inflection of ballista (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		ballista	ballistat
genitive		ballistan	ballistojen
partitive		ballistaa	ballistoja
illative		ballistaan	ballistoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ballista	ballistat
accusative	nom.	ballista	ballistat
	gen.	ballistan
genitive		ballistan	ballistojen ballistain rare
partitive		ballistaa	ballistoja
inessive		ballistassa	ballistoissa
elative		ballistasta	ballistoista
illative		ballistaan	ballistoihin
adessive		ballistalla	ballistoilla
ablative		ballistalta	ballistoilta
allative		ballistalle	ballistoille
essive		ballistana	ballistoina
translative		ballistaksi	ballistoiksi
abessive		ballistatta	ballistoitta
instructive		—	ballistoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ballista (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ballistani ballistani accusative nom. ballistani ballistani gen. ballistani genitive ballistani ballistojeni ballistaini rare partitive ballistaani ballistojani inessive ballistassani ballistoissani elative ballistastani ballistoistani illative ballistaani ballistoihini adessive ballistallani ballistoillani ablative ballistaltani ballistoiltani allative ballistalleni ballistoilleni essive ballistanani ballistoinani translative ballistakseni ballistoikseni abessive ballistattani ballistoittani instructive — — comitative — ballistoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative ballistasi ballistasi accusative nom. ballistasi ballistasi gen. ballistasi genitive ballistasi ballistojesi ballistaisi rare partitive ballistaasi ballistojasi inessive ballistassasi ballistoissasi elative ballistastasi ballistoistasi illative ballistaasi ballistoihisi adessive ballistallasi ballistoillasi ablative ballistaltasi ballistoiltasi allative ballistallesi ballistoillesi essive ballistanasi ballistoinasi translative ballistaksesi ballistoiksesi abessive ballistattasi ballistoittasi instructive — — comitative — ballistoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ballistamme ballistamme accusative nom. ballistamme ballistamme gen. ballistamme genitive ballistamme ballistojemme ballistaimme rare partitive ballistaamme ballistojamme inessive ballistassamme ballistoissamme elative ballistastamme ballistoistamme illative ballistaamme ballistoihimme adessive ballistallamme ballistoillamme ablative ballistaltamme ballistoiltamme allative ballistallemme ballistoillemme essive ballistanamme ballistoinamme translative ballistaksemme ballistoiksemme abessive ballistattamme ballistoittamme instructive — — comitative — ballistoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative ballistanne ballistanne accusative nom. ballistanne ballistanne gen. ballistanne genitive ballistanne ballistojenne ballistainne rare partitive ballistaanne ballistojanne inessive ballistassanne ballistoissanne elative ballistastanne ballistoistanne illative ballistaanne ballistoihinne adessive ballistallanne ballistoillanne ablative ballistaltanne ballistoiltanne allative ballistallenne ballistoillenne essive ballistananne ballistoinanne translative ballistaksenne ballistoiksenne abessive ballistattanne ballistoittanne instructive — — comitative — ballistoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative ballistansa ballistansa accusative nom. ballistansa ballistansa gen. ballistansa genitive ballistansa ballistojensa ballistainsa rare partitive ballistaansa ballistojaan ballistojansa inessive ballistassaan ballistassansa ballistoissaan ballistoissansa elative ballistastaan ballistastansa ballistoistaan ballistoistansa illative ballistaansa ballistoihinsa adessive ballistallaan ballistallansa ballistoillaan ballistoillansa ablative ballistaltaan ballistaltansa ballistoiltaan ballistoiltansa allative ballistalleen ballistallensa ballistoilleen ballistoillensa essive ballistanaan ballistanansa ballistoinaan ballistoinansa translative ballistakseen ballistaksensa ballistoikseen ballistoiksensa abessive ballistattaan ballistattansa ballistoittaan ballistoittansa instructive — — comitative — ballistoineen ballistoinensa

See also

• varsijousi
• ballista on the Finnish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^fi

Latin

Alternative forms

• balista
• ballistra

Etymology

From Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra), from βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”).

Pronunciation

• ballista:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [balˈlɪs.ta]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [balˈlis.ta]
  • Homophone: Ballista
• ballistā:
  • (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [balˈlɪs.taː]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [balˈlis.ta]

Noun

ballista f (genitive ballistae); first declension

1. ballista

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	ballista	ballistae
genitive	ballistae	ballistārum
dative	ballistae	ballistīs
accusative	ballistam	ballistās
ablative	ballistā	ballistīs
vocative	ballista	ballistae

Derived terms

• arcuballista
• ballistārius
• ballistica
• carroballista

Descendants

Descendants

• Asturian: ballesta
• Catalan: ballesta
• → Czech: balista
• → English: ballista
• → Finnish: ballista
• French: baliste
• Galician: bestra
• ⇒ Galician: balistrón, balastrón
• Italian: balista, balestra
  • → Portuguese: balestra
• Old Galician-Portuguese: baesta, beesta, besta
  • Galician: bésta, bestra
  • Portuguese: besta
• Old Spanish: ballesta
  • Spanish: ballesta
• Sicilian: balistra, balestra
• → Polish: balista
• → Portuguese: balista
• → Romanian: balistă
• → Russian: балли́ста (ballísta)
• → Spanish: balista
• → Swedish: ballista

See also

• catapulta
• onager

References

• “ballista”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ballista”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "ballista", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “ballista”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “ballista”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ballista”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin

Swedish

en ballista

Alternative forms

• ballist (less common)

Noun

ballista c

1. a ballista

   Ballistor skjuter stora pilar.

   Ballistas fire large arrows.

Declension

Declension of ballista

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ballista	ballistas
	definite	ballistan	ballistans
plural	indefinite	ballistor	ballistors
	definite	ballistorna	ballistornas

References

• “ballista”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)