CATAPULT


Meaning of CATAPULT in English

I. ˈka-tə-ˌpəlt, -ˌpu̇lt noun

Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French catapulte, from Latin catapulta, from Greek katapaltēs, from kata- + pallein to hurl

Date: 1577

1. : an ancient military device for hurling missiles

2. : a device for launching an airplane at flying speed (as from an aircraft carrier)

[

catapult 1

]

II. verb

Date: 1848

transitive verb

: to throw or launch by or as if by a catapult

intransitive verb

: to become catapulted

he catapult ed to fame

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.