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Definitions

ballista

[buh-lis-tuh] / bəˈlɪs tə /




Example Sentences

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"The ballista spider's snare is bioengineered to store elastic energy in the silk and rapidly release it, giving it incredible instantaneous power density -- greater than any other specialized silk-based biological catapults," said Professor Narendra.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

The small nocturnal arachnid has been nicknamed the ballista spider after the ancient Roman siege weapon that launched bolts and stones using stored tension.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

Though it is yet to be formally named, scientists have nicknamed the tiny spider "ballista", after the ancient weapon used to hurl stones in battle.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Although many people have identified the scorpion as a type of ballista, it lacks the torsion springs that ballistae use to thrust their projectile forward with such incredible force.

From Slate ● May 7, 2019

The dwarf frolicked over to the nearest ballista, which his red-furred friend was priming to launch.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

“Scorpions,” ballistae developed by Hand of the Queen Qyburn, posed the primary threat to Drogon.

From Slate ● May 13, 2019

Although many people have identified the scorpion as a type of ballista, it lacks the torsion springs that ballistae use to thrust their projectile forward with such incredible force.

From Slate ● May 7, 2019

It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in military history books—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

They needed more firepower, but they couldn’t use ballistae.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

“Valdez, how many harmless monsters have we met? We should just aim the ballistae and see what happens!”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan




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