catapulta

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical: a Roman military engine for launching arrows, stones, or other projectiles

   The museum's reconstruction showed how a Roman catapulta hurled a heavy bolt.

A learned borrowing from Latin catapulta, from Greek katapeltes, a projectile engine. Catapulta and catapult are etymological doublets, but the learned form is used chiefly for the ancient Roman weapon.

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