catapult
Other forms: catapulted; catapults; catapulting
A catapult is something that hurls things through the air, like a catapult that sends pumpkins flying in an annual Halloween competition.
To pronounce catapult, accent the first syllable: "CAT a pult." Catapult can also be a verb that means "to hurl or shoot forward." It's not only objects that catapult. A hit single can catapult a band to great fame, for example, or a high score may catapult you into first place. Just don't catapult any cats. That would catapult you to notoriety, and probably also to jail.
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an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles
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a device that launches aircraft from a warship
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a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones
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shoot forth or launch, as if from a catapult
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hurl as if with a sling
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Vocabulary lists containing catapult
Learn these words derived from the Greek root kata-, which has a range of meanings including "down," "through," "against" "across," "along with," and "wrongly."
Falling under this category of words that derive from the Latin root "cadere," meaning "to fall," are some surprises: "incident," "accident," and all of those "-cide" words having to do with killing. More Latin Love, Volume II lists: fluere, iacere, onym, and vertere! ELA Common Core State Standard: "Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word."
Grab your toga, fire up your chariot, and get ready to learn these words related to ancient Rome. Review the republic and the empire, architectural structures like aqueducts and amphitheaters, gladiators, and much more. Once you've mastered this list, you too can recite the famous words of Julius Caesar: Veni, vidi, vici ("I came, I saw, I conquered").