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torpedo
Definitions
[tɔːˈpiːdəʊ], (Noun)
Definitions:
- a cigar-shaped self-propelled underwater missile designed to be fired from a ship or submarine or dropped into the water from an aircraft and to explode on reaching a target
- an electric ray
- a gangster hired to commit a murder or other violent act
Phrases:
Origin
:
early 16th century (in torpedo): from Latin, literally ‘stiffness, numbness’, by extension ‘electric ray’ (which gives a shock causing numbness), from torpere ‘be numb or sluggish’. torpedo dates from the late 18th century and first described a timed explosive device for detonation under water
[tɔːˈpiːdəʊ], (Verb)
Definitions:
- attack or sink (a ship) with a torpedo or torpedoes
(e.g: the liner was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine)
Phrases:
Origin
:
early 16th century (in torpedo): from Latin, literally ‘stiffness, numbness’, by extension ‘electric ray’ (which gives a shock causing numbness), from torpere ‘be numb or sluggish’. torpedo dates from the late 18th century and first described a timed explosive device for detonation under water
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definition by Oxford Dictionaries