Adjacent Words

Missile definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MIS'SILE, a. [L. missilis, from missus, sent; mitto, to send.]
Thrown or sent, or that may be thrown. A missile weapon is one that is thrown by the hand, or from an engine in war, in distinction from such as are held or retained in the hand, or fixed. An arrow, a dart, a javelin, a stone, a bullet, a bomb, are missile weapons.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a rocket carrying a warhead of conventional or nuclear explosives; may be ballistic or directed by remote control
2: a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled [syn: projectile, missile]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Latin missilis, from mittere to throw, send Date: 1611 1. capable of being thrown or projected to strike a distant object 2. adapted for throwing or hurling missiles II. noun Date: circa 1656 an object (as a weapon) thrown or projected usually so as to strike something at a distance <stones, artillery shells, bullets, and rockets are missiles> : as a. guided missile b. ballistic missile

Britannica Concise

Rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver an explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed. Missiles vary from small tactical weapons effective out to only a few hundred feet to much larger strategic weapons with ranges of several thousand miles. They were not developed in any significant way until after World War II. Almost all contain some form of guidance and control mechanism and are therefore often called guided missiles. An unguided military missile, as well as any launch vehicle used to penetrate the upper atmosphere or place a satellite in space, is usually called a rocket. A propeller-driven underwater missile is called a torpedo, and a guided missile powered along a low, level flight path by an air-breathing jet engine is called a cruise missile. With the development of ICBMs, missiles became central to Cold War strategy. See also antiballistic missile, Minuteman missile, V-1 missile, V-2 missile.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an object or weapon suitable for throwing at a target or for discharge from a machine. 2 a weapon, esp. a nuclear weapon, directed by remote control or automatically. Derivatives: missilery n. Etymology: L missilis f. mittere miss- send

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Missile Mis"sile, a. [L. missils, fr. mittere, missum, to cause to go, to send, to throw; cf. Lith. mesti to throw: cf. F. missile. Cf. Admit, Dismiss, Mass the religious service, Message, Mission.] Capable of being thrown; adapted for hurling or to be projected from the hand, or from any instrument or rngine, so as to strike an object at a distance. We bend the bow, or wing the missile dart. --Pope.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Missile Mis"sile, n. [L. missile.] A weapon thrown or projected or intended to be projcted, as a lance, an arrow, or a bullet.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(missiles) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A missile is a tube-shaped weapon that travels long distances through the air and explodes when it reaches its target. The authorities offered to stop firing missiles if the rebels agreed to stop attacking civilian targets. ...nuclear missiles. N-COUNT 2. Anything that is thrown as a weapon can be called a missile. The football supporters began throwing missiles, one of which hit the referee. N-COUNT 3. see also cruise missile, guided missile

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Projectile. II. a. Missive, to be thrown.

Moby Thesaurus

AA target rocket, ABM, ASM, ATS, Asp, Asroc, Atlas, Atlas-Agena, Atlas-Centaur, Bullpup, Cajun, Corporal, Corvus, Crossbow, Dart, Deacon, Delta, Diamant, Dove, Falcon, Firebee, Genie, Hawk, Holy Moses, Hound Dog, ICBM, Irish confetti, Jupiter, Lacrosse, Lark, Loki, Loon, Mace, Matador, Navaho, Nike, Nike Ajax, Pershing, Petrel, Polaris, Poseidon, Quail, Ram, Rascal, Redeye, Redstone, Regulus I, SLAM, Saturn, Scout, Sentinel, Sergeant, Shillelagh, Sidewinder, Skybolt, Snark, Spaerobee, Sparrow, Subroc, Super Talos, Talos, Tartar, Terrier, Thor, Thor Able Star, Thor-Agena, Thor-Delta, Tiny Tim, Titan, V-2, Viking, WAC-Corporal, Wagtail, Zuni, anchor rocket, antiaircraft rocket, antiradar rocket, atom-rocket, atomic warhead, ball, ballistic, barrage rocket, bat bomb, bird, bola, bolt, boomerang, brickbat, chemical rocket, countermissile, demolition rocket, discus, ejecta, ejectamenta, ejective, fin-stabilized rocket, fireworks rocket, flare rocket, flying tank, guided missile, high-altitude rocket, homing rocket, incendiary rocket, ion rocket, jaculatory, line-throwing rocket, liquid-fuel rocket, nuclear warhead, payload, projectile, quoit, ram rocket, retro-float light, retro-rocket, rock, rocket, rockoon, signal rocket, skyrocket, smoke rocket, snake, solid-fuel rocket, space rocket, spin-stabilized rocket, spinner, stone, supersonic rocket, thermonuclear warhead, throw stick, throwing-stick, torpedo, trajectile, trajectory missile, transoceanic rocket, vernier, vernier rocket, waddy, war rocket, warhead, window rocket