ballistic
/bəˈlɪs.tɪk/ adjective
- adjective (not comparable) Of or relating to ballistics.
- adjective (comparable) Of or relating to projectiles moving under their own momentum, aerodynamic drag, gravity, and sometimes rocket power, without significant lift.
- adjective (comparable, slang) Very angry. “When he heard him lie about it, he went ballistic.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin ballista (“a military siege engine for throwing stones”) + -ic.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of or pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of hurling stones or missile weapons by means of an engine.
- adjective Pertaining to projection, or to a projectile. Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact impels it.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ballistic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details