Etymologically
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bombardment

Etymology and origin of the English word bombardment

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1702
Ultimate origin
English (bombard,-ment)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bɒmˈbɑːdmənt/ (UK); /bɑːmˈbɑːrdmənt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English bombard + -ment.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Continuous attack on a place with shot and shell (1702).[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) defines it as an attack on a city by throwing bombs into it, quoting Addison: “Genoa is not yet secure from a bombardment”.[5] In 1898 physics took it over for exposing a substance to a stream of particles,[3][4] and it is also used figuratively of an onslaught, as of questions or criticism.[6] In international law it means an attack with weapons that strike at a distance, from land, sea or air.[7]

Timeline

  • 1702 – continuous attack with shot and shell.[3][2]
  • 1755 – Johnson: an attack on a city with bombs.[5]
  • 1898 – subjection to a stream of particles (physics).[3][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of bombarding or the state of being bombarded; a sustained attack with artillery, missiles or bombs.
  2. (physics) The directing of a stream of high-energy particles at a substance.
  3. An onslaught, as of criticism or questions.
  • bombard
  • bomb

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  5. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  6. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  7. ^ Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2004), Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson West
Cite this entry

“Bombardment.” Etymologically, 14 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bombardment. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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