bombard

Meaning

Noun

1. a medieval primitive cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls.
2. (obsolete) a bassoon-like medieval instrument
3. (obsolete) a large liquor container made of leather, in the form of a jug or a bottle.
4. A bombardment.
5. A bombardon.

Verb

1. To continuously attack something with bombs, artillery shells or other missiles or projectiles.
2. To attack something or someone by directing objects at them.
3. To continuously send or direct (at someone)
4. To direct at a substance an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbɒmˌbɑːd/

Etymology

From Middle English bombard, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard, mortar, catapult"; also "a bassoon-like musical instrument”), from Latin bombus (“buzzing; booming”).
The modern pronunciation is from modern French bombarde.