Bombardier
/ˌbɒm.bɑːrˈdɪər/noun
A person who operates or specializes in dropping bombs or firing explosives; also, a soldier responsible for artillery or bomb handling.
Did you know?The word comes through French from a term for someone who handled a bombard, an early artillery weapon, so its modern military edge is a direct fossil of gunpowder warfare.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
bombardier
“a person who operated a bombard or other artillery”
Old French
French
bombardier
“an artilleryman; one who uses a bombard”
Medieval Latin
Latin
bombarda
“a cannon, mortar, or large gun”
Late Latin / Vulgar Latin
Latin
bombus
“a booming or humming sound”
Ancient Greek
Greek
bombos
“a deep, resonant booming sound”