Word
torpedo
Phoneticstor·pe·do
US/tɔɹˈpiˌdoʊ/
UK/tɔːpˈiːdəʊ/
Definition
n. a long, thin weapon that travels underwater to blow up ships or submarines. It looks like a small, metal whale and is fired from a boat or plane.
n. a self-propelled underwater missile designed to be launched from a submarine, surface vessel, or aircraft. It contains an explosive warhead and is steered toward a target by internal guidance systems.
Examples
“The submarine fired a torpedo at the enemy ship.”
“Naval historians often discuss how the invention of the torpedo changed the nature of sea battles forever.”
“Advanced acoustic sensors allow the modern torpedo to track the specific sound signature of a target's engines, making it nearly impossible for a large vessel to escape.”
Examples
simple
“The submarine fired a torpedo at the enemy ship.”
contextual
“Naval historians often discuss how the invention of the torpedo changed the nature of sea battles forever.”
complex
“Advanced acoustic sensors allow the modern torpedo to track the specific sound signature of a target's engines, making it nearly impossible for a large vessel to escape.”
Real-World Examples
“Before his death in 1826, the inventor developed a torpedo that could be transported behind a whaleboat, and he worked on designs for other underwater mines.” “This torpedoed the debt-fuelled real estate sector, which has traditionally accounted for between one-quarter and one-third of China’s GDP.” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
damn the torpedoes — Used to dismiss the risks of a dangerous action.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/torpedo