Dictionary

bombard en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/ (UK)
• /ˈbɑmˌbɑɹd/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle English bombard, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard, mortar, catapult"; also "a bassoon-like musical instrument”), from Latin bombus (“buzzing; booming”). The modern pronunciation is from modern French bombarde.

Meanings

1. A medieval primitive cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls.
   • They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city, might break down the houses. 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
2. (obsolete) A bassoon-like medieval musical instrument.
3. (obsolete) A large liquor container made of leather, in the form of a jug or a bottle.
   • […] yond same black cloud, yond huge one, / looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
4. (poetic, rare) A bombardment.
   • With mines and parallels contracts the space; Then bids the battering floats his labors crown And pour their bombard on the shuddering town 1807, Joel Barlow, The Columbiad:
5. A bombardon.

Forms

Deriveds

bombardman · bombard phrase

Translations (19)

el βομβάρδα (medieval primitive cannon) · de Steinbüchse (medieval primitive cannon) · de Kartaune (medieval primitive cannon) · es bombarda (medieval primitive cannon) · pt bombarda (medieval primitive cannon) · cs bombarda (medieval primitive cannon) · io bombardilo (medieval primitive cannon) · de Bombarde (medieval primitive cannon) · fr bombarde (medieval primitive cannon) · bg бомба́рда (medieval primitive cannon) · la bombarda (medieval primitive cannon) · nl bombarde (medieval primitive cannon) · nl geschut (medieval primitive cannon) · gl bombarda (medieval primitive cannon) · ru бомба́рда (medieval primitive cannon) · ca bombarda (medieval primitive cannon) · de Donnerbüchse (medieval primitive cannon) · enm bombard (medieval primitive cannon) · nl kartouwe (medieval primitive cannon)

bombard en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˌbɒmˈbɑːd/ (UK)
• /bəmˈbɑɹd/ (US)
• /ˌbɑmˈbɑɹd/ (US)

Etymology

From French bombarder, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard”).

Meanings

1. To continuously attack something with bombs, artillery shells or other missiles or projectiles.
   • The enemy's stronghold was bombarded for 3 hours straight.
2. (figuratively) To attack something or someone by directing objects at them.
   • My correspondent, who was riding in the first coach, comments that the small standard tender did not take kindly to this gay progress, and signified its disapproval from time to time by bombarding the train with lumps of coal! 1954 July, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 488:
3. (figuratively) To continuously send or direct (at someone)
   • I was bombarded with WhatsApp messages after appearing on the news.
   • Please don't bombard me with questions right now, I'll answer them at the end of the statement.
   • At this point she remembered, sitting there, surrounded by heavy breathing, the constellations flashing, cosmic rays bombarding marvelsome complex coils on the lecturer's dials, that she had forgotten to turn out the gas under the beets. 1945, Morton Thompson, Joe, the Wounded Tennis Player, page 88:
   • We're so bombarded with images, it's a struggle to preserve our imaginations.' In response, he's turned to cinema, commissioning 11 film-makers to contribute to a portmanteau film, entitled '11'09"01' and composed of short films each running 11 minutes, nine seconds and one frame. 2002 December 11, Nick Bradshaw, “One day in September”, in Time Out, page 71:
4. To direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms.

Forms

Deriveds

bombardment · bombardable · unbombarded · bombardier · microbombarded

Synonyms

bomb

Translations (29)

ru бомбарди́ровать (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · de bombardieren (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · fi pommittaa (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · sh bombardírati (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · sh бомбарди́рати (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · pl bombardować (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · pl bombardować (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · pl zbombardować (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · ja 照射する (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · bg бомбарди́рам (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · de bombardieren (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · el βομβαρδίζω (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · el βομβαρδίζω (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · cs bombardovat (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · pt bombardear (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · nl bombarderen (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · nl bekogelen (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · fr bombarder (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · fr bombarder (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · ja 浴びせる (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · sh бомбарди́рати (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · sh bombardírati (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · nrf bombarder (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · pt bombardear (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · nrf bombarder (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · es bombardear (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms) · es bombardear (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · pl zbombardować (to attack something or someone by directing objects at them) · ru бомбарди́ровать (to direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms)