ballista

noun bal·lis·ta \ bə-ˈlis-tə \

Definition of ballista

plural ballistae play \-ˌtē\

: an ancient military engine often in the form of a crossbow for hurling large missiles

Recent Examples of ballista from the Web

Other artifacts were discovered during the dig as well, including ballista bolts, brooches, arrowheads, leather shoes, knives, bath clogs, writing tablets and pen and cavalry lances.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Rare Roman Cavalry Swords And Toys Unearthed Along Hadrian’s Wall," 14 Sep. 2017
This kind of ballista dates back to 399 BCE, when King Dionysius of Syracuse besieged a walled town called Motya located on the island of Sicily.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "The Real History of the Ballista, Game of Thrones' New Dragon-Killing Weapon," 28 July 2017
These miniature plastic or metal ballistas can fire a toothpick with enough force to pierce cardboard or — if loaded up with metal needles instead of wooden skewers — a soda can, the BBC reports.

— joseph hincks, Time, "Step Aside, Fidget Spinner. China's 'Toothpick Crossbow' Is the Ultimate Taboo Toy," 22 June 2017
Nahshon Szanton and Moran Hagbi, the directors of the excavation, said the ballista balls were used by the Romans to bombard Jerusalem during the battle.

— chris ciaccia, Fox News, "2,000-year-old battle relics provide evidence of the last battle of Jerusalem," 25 May 2017
The excavations revealed more than 400 Roman sling bullets right where the metal detectors indicated, as well as two spherical sandstone missiles known as ballista balls.

— john reid, National Geographic, "Ancient Slingshot Was as Deadly as a .44 Magnum," 24 May 2017
That’s about twice the speed of the black arrow shot from the ballista.

— rhett allain, WIRED, "Could the Black Arrow Actually Kill a Dragon?," 12 Nov. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ballista.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.