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ballistic

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der.
Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
Ancient Greek βᾰ́λλω (bắllō)
Ancient Greek βαλλίστρᾱ (ballístrā)der.
Latin ballista
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Indo-European *-ikos
Proto-Italic *-ikos
Latin -icuslbor.
Old French -iquebor.
Middle English -ik
English -ic
English ballistic

    From Latin ballista (“a military siege engine for throwing stones”) +‎ -ic.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /bəˈlɪs.tɪk/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Rhymes: -ɪstɪk

    Adjective

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    ballistic (comparative more ballistic, superlative most ballistic)

    1. (not comparable) Of or relating to ballistics.
    2. (comparable) Of or relating to projectiles moving under their own momentum, aerodynamic drag, gravity, and sometimes rocket power, without significant lift.
      • 2026 May 24, Jennifer Rankin, “Russia hits Kyiv with hypersonic ballistic missile in ‘deranged’ attack”, in The Guardian‎[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 24 May 2026:
        Russia used its powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile for a third time in Ukraine as part of a massive attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region that killed at least four people and injured about 100.
    3. (comparable, slang) Very angry.
      When he heard him lie about it, he went ballistic.

    Synonyms

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    Antonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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