Torpedo
/tɔːrˈpiː.doʊ/noun
A self-propelled underwater explosive weapon or a device shaped like one.
Did you know?The Latin word torpedo originally named the electric ray, a fish known for numbing shocks, and the same root also gave us words tied to torpor and paralysis.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
torpedo
“the electric ray, a fish that numbs with an electric shock”
Late Latin
Latin
torpedo
“numbness, paralysis; also the torpedo fish”
16th Century
English
torpedo
“a torpedo fish or a device thought to paralyze or disable”
19th Century
English
torpedo
“an underwater explosive weapon”