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bombshell

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Etymology and origin of the English word bombshell

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1651
Ultimate origins
Ancient Greek βόμβοςOld English sciell
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Ancient Greek βόμβος
Latin bombus
Italian bomba
French bombe
English bomb
English bombshell
The word's journey

Pronunciation

  • /ˈbɑmʃɛl/, /ˈbɒmʃɛl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English bomb + shell.[2][3][4] It was also written with a hyphen.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An explosive projectile, a shell fired from a mortar or other piece of artillery: 1651, in a diary entry of 18 September, according to the OED, which revised the entry in 2025.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1708,[3][5] and Dictionary.com to 1700–10.[4]

Semantic evolution

From 1840 a Pennsylvania newspaper used it for something shocking or wholly unexpected, especially a sudden announcement; from 1844 it was also used as an adjective for such news;[2] Etymonline dates the figurative sense to 1859,[3] and Green's earliest slang example, of an unpleasant surprise, is from 1872.[6] The phrase to drop a bombshell, to break startling news, grew out of this sense.[2][6] In the 20th century it was applied to a glamorously attractive person, usually a woman, or someone who causes a sensation: the OED's first example is from 1917,[2] Etymonline's from 1942.[3] The 1933 film Bombshell, starring Jean Harlow, was also released as The Blond Bombshell,[3] and blonde bombshell became a set phrase.[2][7] The original military sense is now dated.[7][8]

Timeline

  • 1651 – an explosive shell fired from a gun or mortar.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date it to 1708.[3][5]
  • 1840 – something shocking or highly unexpected, especially an announcement.[2] Etymonline dates it to 1859.[3]
  • 1844 – adjective, of news or a revelation: shocking and unexpected.[2]
  • 1917 – a glamorously attractive person, typically a woman.[2] Etymonline dates it to 1942.[3]
  • 1933 – the film Bombshell, starring Jean Harlow, also titled The Blond Bombshell.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A sudden piece of news or an event that causes great shock or surprise, usually unwelcome: The closure of the factory came as a bombshell to the town.[7][5][2]
  2. drop a bombshell: to announce something startling without warning.[2][6]
  3. (informal) A very attractive woman, especially in the phrase blonde bombshell.[7][8][2]
  4. (dated) A bomb or artillery shell.[7][8][5]

Adjective

  1. Of news or a revelation: shocking and unexpected.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  7. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b c Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Bombshell.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bombshell. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·