| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| ballista |
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| SYLLABICATION: | bal·lis·ta |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  b -l s t |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. bal·lis·tae (-t  )
An ancient and medieval engine of warfare used to hurl heavy projectiles at a target. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Latin, from Greek ballists, from ballein, to throw. See gwel- in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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