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projectile

Pronunciation: /prə(ʊ)ˈdʒɛktʌɪl, -tɪl/
Translate projectile | into German | into Italian
Definition of projectile

noun

  • a missile designed to be fired from a gun: the guns were deployed to flail the village with their one-ton projectiles
  • an object propelled through the air, especially one thrown as a weapon:they tried to shield Johnson from the projectiles that were being thrown

adjective

  • denoting or relating to a projectile:a projectile weapon
  • propelled with great force: Simon was projectile vomiting

Origin:

mid 17th century: modern Latin, from project- 'thrown forth', from the verb proicere (see project)

projectile in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of projectile in the US English dictionary

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