ballista

noun

bal·​lis·​ta bə-ˈli-stə How to pronounce ballista (audio)
plural ballistae bə-ˈli-ˌstē How to pronounce ballista (audio)
: an ancient military engine often in the form of a crossbow for hurling large missiles

Examples of ballista in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This kind of ballista dates back to 399 BCE, when King Dionysius of Syracuse besieged a walled town called Motya located on the island of Sicily. — William Gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, 6 May 2019 In human history, this old-school Godzilla-sized crossbow goes by a different name—a ballista. — William Gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, 6 May 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English baliste "crossbow, ballista," borrowed from Latin ballista, bālista "ballista," borrowed from Greek ballistḗs, presumably "thrower, military engine" (attested only as the name of a constellation in an astrological manuscript), agent derivative of ballízein "to throw, hurl" — more at ball entry 3

Note: Latin ballista is attested already in the plays of Plautus, and hence dates from the earliest period of literary Latin. It is striking that the word is unknown in the sense "military engine" in Greek, though a possible explanation lies in the distribution of the base word ballízein. It is only attested in authors from Magna Graecia, the areas of southern Italy and Sicily that were colonized by Greeks. This geographical limitation may explain both its non-occurrence elsewhere in Greek and its early transmission to Latin.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballista was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Ballista.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballista. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ballista

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