torpedo
noun/tɔːˈpiːdəʊ/
/tɔːrˈpiːdəʊ/
(plural torpedoes)
- a long, narrow bomb that is fired under the water from a ship or submarine and that explodes when it hits a ship, etc.Topics War and conflictc2Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + torpedo
- carry
- fire
- launch
- …
- hit something
- strike something
- tube
- boat
- bomber
- …
Word Originearly 16th cent. (originally referring to an electric ray): from Latin, literally ‘stiffness, numbness’, by extension ‘electric ray’ (which gives a shock causing numbness), from torpere ‘be numb or sluggish’. The noun sense dates from the late 18th cent. and first described a timed explosive device for detonation under water.Want to learn more?
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torpedo