balistique

Forms

balistique (plural balistiques)^[1]

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from New Latin ballistica, a scientific Latin word used by Mersenne in 1644.^[2][3][4] It was derived from Latin ballista, the name of a war engine and of its projectiles,^[2][3] and Bloch and Wartburg describe it as made on Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō, “to throw”), after words such as mathematica.^[4] Rey traces the Latin word to a Greek derivative of βαλλίζω (ballízō, “to throw”), from the same verb.^[2]

The adjective is recorded once in 1649, taken from a scientific Latin *ballisticus.^[4] According to Bloch and Wartburg it was borrowed again in 1845 from the English adjective ballistic, used for the ballistic pendulum, the pendulum Benjamin Robins invented about 1742.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1647, in Mersenne, as the name of the science of throwing projectiles.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

The word first named the science of the paths of projectiles, at first cannonballs, and it also described what relates to their motion from 1649.^[2] Its meaning changed with artillery and then widened to the science of the motion of thrown bodies in general.^[2] In the 20th century it entered the vocabulary of rockets and missiles: an engin balistique or missile balistique moves under gravity alone once its propulsion stops.^[5][6]

The derivatives are balisticien “ballistics expert” (1907) and the adverb balistiquement (20th century).^[2]

Timeline

• 1644 – Mersenne uses the scientific Latin ballistica.^[2]
• 1647 – First French record of the noun.^[2][3][4]
• 1649 – The adjective is first found.^[2][3][4]
• 1845 – The adjective returns, from English ballistic.^[4]
• 1907 – The derivative balisticien appears.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. ballistics, the science of the motion of projectiles and of bodies thrown into space.^[7][6][8]

Adjective

1. ballistic, relating to projectiles, their firing, path and range.^[9][7]
2. Missile balistique (dated engin balistique): a ballistic missile, which follows the path of a projectile.^[6][7]
3. Galvanomètre balistique: a galvanometer used to measure a quantity of electricity passing in a very short time.^[7][6][9]

Word family

• balisticien
• balistiquement

Related words

• baliste
• Latin ballista
• English ballistic

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
6. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
9. ^ a b Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard