Missile
/ˈmɪs.aɪl/noun
A weapon or object designed to be thrown, launched, or sent through the air.
Did you know?Its Latin ancestor, *missilis*, comes from *mittere* (“to send”), the same root behind *mission*, *permit*, and *submit*—so a missile is, etymologically, a thing you unleash.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mei-
“to send, let go”
Latin
Latin
mittere
“to send, let go, dispatch”
Latin
Latin
missilis
“that may be thrown or sent”
Old French
Old French
missile
“a missile, projectile”
Late Middle English
English
missile
“a projectile or weapon thrown or launched”
Modern English
English
missile
“a guided or unguided projectile weapon”