noun · femininefirst declension
ballista
ballista f (genitive ballistae)
Classical[balˈlɪs.ta]Ecclesiastical[balˈlis.ta]
Meaning
- feminineballista
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
tormentum tēla iaciēnsballista -ae (f) — in IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 4
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | ballista | ballistae balistae |
| genitive | ballistae balistae | ballistārum balistārum |
| dative | ballistae balistae | ballistīs balistīs |
| accusative | ballistam balistam | ballistās balistās |
| ablative | ballistā | ballistīs balistīs |
| vocative | ballista | ballistae balistae |
ballista (better than balista; in Gloss. also ballistra), ae, f. βάλλω,
I. a lārge military engine, resembling a bow, stretched with cords and thongs, by which masses of stone and other missiles were thrown to a great distance; a machine for projectiles, the ballista (orig. diff. from catapulta, which was used for throwing arrows; but afterwards often interchanged with it; cf. Vitr. 10, 16-18; Veg. 4, 22): centenariae, throwing stones of a hundred pounds weight, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 555, 25: ballistae lapidum et reliqua tormenta telorum eo graviores emissiones habent, quo sunt contenta atque adducta vehementius, *Cic. Tusc. 2, 24, 57; Caes. B. C. 2, 2; Liv. 24, 40, 15; 21, 11, 10; Tac. A. 12, 56; 15, 9; id. H. 3, 23; 3, 29; 4, 23; Gell. 7 (6), 3; Sil. 1, 334; Luc. 2, 686; Vulg. 1 Macc. 6, 20;
6, 51.—Sportively: meus est ballista pugnus, cubitus catapulta est mihi, umerus aries, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 17. —For throwing other missiles, Caes. B. C. 2, 2; Luc. 2, 686; 3, 465.—II. Transf., the weapon thrown, a missile, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 42;
Lucil. lib. XXVIII.: ballistas jactans centenarias. Sisenn. Hist. lib. IIII: ballistas quattuor talentarias, Non. p. 555, 24 sq.— III. Trop.:
jam infortunii intenta ballista probe, an instrument, Plaut. Poen. 1, 1, 73; id. Bacch. 4, 4, 58.Ballista, ae, v. 2. Balista.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
ballista or bālista ae, f
an engine for hurling: balistae emissiones lapidum habent: asseres ballistis missi, Cs.: porta ballistis instructa, L.
Origins
From Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra), from βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”).
Descendants
- Catalanballesta
- Englishballista
- Frenchbaliste
- Italianbalista
- Portuguesebalestrafrom Italian balista
- Italianbalestra
- Portuguesebestafrom Old Galician-Portuguese baesta
- Spanishballestafrom Old Spanish ballesta
- Portuguesebalista
- Romanianbalistă