catapult: [16] The first catapults were large military machines for hurling missiles at the enemy (originally darts, in contrast with the ballista, which discharged large rocks, but the distinction did not last); the schoolboy’s handheld catapult, consisting of a piece of elastic fixed in a Y-shaped frame, did not appear until the latter part of the 19th century. Etymologically, their name is a fairly straightforward description of what they do: it comes ultimately from Greek katapáltēs, which was formed from katá- ‘down’, hence ‘against’, and pállein ‘hurl’.
catapult (n.)
1570s, from Middle French catapulte and directly from Latin catapulta "war machine for throwing," from Greek katapeltes, from kata "against" (see cata-) + base of pallein "to toss, hurl" (see pulse (n.1)). As an airplane-launching device on an aircraft-carrier by 1927.
catapult (v.)
1848, "to throw with a catapult," from catapult (n.). Intransitive sense by 1928. Related: Catapulted; catapulting.
雙語例句
1. The boy surrendered the catapult to the teacher.
那孩子把彈弓交給了老師.
來自《簡明英漢詞典》
2. He fitted a pebble into the catapult and pulled back the elastic. Twang!
他把石子放進彈弓裏，然後往回拉動橡皮筋。“嘣”！
來自柯林斯例句
3. The sting of the catapult bullet had worn off.
挨的那下彈弓不那麽疼啦.
來自英漢文學
4. The catapult projected stones into the air.
彈弓把石頭射向天空.
來自辭典例句
5. She was catapult to stardom by the success of her first record.