Unattested Aramaic term; the needed form is only attested in Classical Syriac ܢܫܒܐ (nəšāḇā) as “blowing; storm”, however the ʔap̄ʕel form (= form IV) of the verb within the root means “to blow away, to let fly”. In the Middle Ages already the distinction between weapons and their projectiles became loose, hence later the meaning of a crossbow has come to prevail in some dialects.