Word of the Day

: May 27, 2011

bombard

verb bahm-BARD

What It Means

1 : to attack especially with artillery or bombers

2 : to assail vigorously or persistently (as with questions)

3 : to subject to the impact of rapidly moving particles (as electrons)

bombard in Context

Reporters bombarded the defendant’s lawyer with questions as he emerged from the courthouse.

"From the first day of life and throughout the life cycle, the human body is continually bombarded by toxins, chemicals, viruses, bacteria, and other potentially damaging factors." -- From Karlyn Grimes's 2011 book The Everything Anti-Inflammation Diet Book

Did You Know?

In the late Middle Ages, a bombard was a cannon used to hurl large stones at enemy fortifications. Its name, which first appeared in English in the 15th century, derived via Middle French and Middle English from the Latin noun "bombus" (a word referring to the same device). The verb "bombard" blasted onto the scene in English in 1686, with an original meaning of "to attack especially with artillery"; as weapons technology improved throughout the centuries, such artillery came to include things like automatic rifles and bomber aircraft. Nowadays one can be bombarded figuratively in any number of ways, such as by omnipresent advertising messages or persistent phone calls.