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torpedo

tor·pedo

UK/ˌtɔː(ɹ)ˈpiː.dəʊ/ US/ˌtoɹˈpi.doʊ/ fairly common slang us
noun (7) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.
3.

an explosive device that is set off in an oil well (or a gas well) to start or to increase the flow of oil (or gas)

4.

a small firework that consists of a percussion cap and some gravel wrapped in paper; explodes when thrown forcefully against a hard surface

5.

a small explosive device that is placed on a railroad track and fires when a train runs over it; the sound of the explosion warns the engineer of danger ahead

6.

armament consisting of a long cylindrical self-propelled underwater projectile that detonates on contact with a target

7.

any sluggish bottom-dwelling ray of the order Torpediniformes having a rounded body and electric organs on each side of the head capable of emitting strong electric discharges

Synonyms

verb

1.

attack or hit with torpedoes

Origin

* Borrowed from Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish; numbness, torpidity, electric ray”), from torpeō (“to be stiff, numb, torpid; to be astounded; to be inactive”) + -ēdō (noun suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“stiff”). In the military sense coined by Robert Fulton in 1805. Cognate with Old English steorfan (“to die”), Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós, “solid”), Lithuanian tirpstu (“to become rigid”), Old Church Slavonic трупети (trupeti). * (type of car): From 1908, after "the Torpedo", a car designed by Captain Theo Masui.

Phrases

  • Bangalore torpedo other definitions
  • land torpedo other definitions
  • neato torpedo other definitions
  • spar torpedo other definitions
  • torpedo boat other definitions
  • torpedo body other definitions
  • torpedo bomber other definitions
  • torpedo boom other definitions

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.