[tor.pe.do] n, pl -does [L, lit., stiffness, numbness, fr. torpere to be sluggish or numb--more at torpid] (ca. 1520) 1: electric ray
2: a weapon for destroying ships by rupturing their hulls below the waterline: as a: a submarine mine b: a thin cylindrical self-propelled underwater projectile
3: a small firework that explodes when thrown against a hard object
4: a professional gunman or assassin
5: submarine
2.
[2]torpedo vt tor.pe.doed ; tor.pe.do.ing (ca. 1879) 1: to hit or sink (a ship) with a naval torpedo: strike or destroy by torpedo
2: to destroy or nullify altogether: wreck "~ a plan"