I. ˈräkə̇t, usu -ə̇d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English roket, from Old North French roquet, from (assumed) Old French roc coat + Old French -et — more at rochet
chiefly dialect : rochet
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French roquette, from Old Italian rochetta, ruchetta, diminutive of ruca garden rocket, from Latin eruca — more at eruca
1. : garden rocket 1
2.
a. : a plant of the genus Hesperis ; especially : dame's violet
b. : any of several plants resembling dame's violet
III. noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Italian rocchetta rocket, small distaff, diminutive of rocca distaff, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rocko distaff — more at rock
1. : a firework consisting of a cylindrical case partly filled with a combustible composition (as potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur), fastened to a guiding stick, projected through the air by gases liberated when the charge is ignited by a fuse, and used for pyrotechnic display (as stars, gold or silver rain, floral designs) and for signaling
2. : an incendiary weapon consisting of a tailpiece, fuse and powder charge, and a round-nosed hollow warhead filled with pitch, powder, tallow, and potassium nitrate and fired upward at about 45 degrees through a metal pipe in a wooden chute leading to a square hole in the side of a ship
the rockets' red glare — F.S.Key
3. : a device consisting of a case containing a combustible composition projected through the air by reaction from the rearward discharge of gases liberated by combustion and used as an incendiary or explosive missile or as a propelling unit (as for a lifesaving line or a whaling harpoon)
4. also rocket engine or rocket motor : a jet engine that operates on the same principle as the firework rocket, that consists essentially of a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle, that carries either liquid or solid propellants which provide the fuel and oxygen needed for combustion and thus make the engine independent of the oxygen of the air, and that is usd especially for the propulsion of a missile (as a bomb or shell) or a vehicle (as an airplane or automobile)
5. : a rocket-propelled bomb, missile, or other projectile
6. chiefly Britain : rebuke
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1. : to attack with rockets
bombing, strafing and rocketing enemy frontline troops and rear-area supply lines — N.Y.Times
2. : to convey by means of a rocket
rocket a satellite into orbit
3. : to bring into prominence
coal … suddenly rocketed this railroad flag stop … into industrial importance — American Guide Series: Virginia
intransitive verb
1. : to rise straight up and swiftly when flushed — used especially of pheasants
2.
a. : to rise up swiftly, spectacularly, and with force
rocketed to stardom almost overnight — Time
b. : to travel rapidly
the salesmen … piled back into their cars and rocketed off to the next live account — Richard Bissell
Synonyms: see rise