-e-bomb-

n. [ F. bombe bombshell, fr. L. bombus a humming or buzzing noise, Gr. &unr_;. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A great noise; a hollow sound. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A pillar of iron . . . which if you had struck, would make . . . a great bomb in the chamber beneath. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mil.) A shell; esp. a spherical shell, like those fired from mortars. See Shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A bomb ketch. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bomb chest (Mil.), a chest filled with bombs, or only with gunpowder, placed under ground, to cause destruction by its explosion. --
Bomb ketch,
Bomb vessel (Naut.), a small ketch or vessel, very strongly built, on which mortars are mounted to be used in naval bombardments; -- called also mortar vessel. --
Bomb lance, a lance or harpoon with an explosive head, used in whale fishing. --
Volcanic bomb, a mass of lava of a spherical or pear shape. “I noticed volcanic bombs.” Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To bombard. [ Obs. ] Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a natural family of tropical trees with large dry or fleshy fruit containing usually woolly seeds.
Syn. -- family Bombacaceae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OF. ] Cotton; padding. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bombarde, LL. bombarda, fr. L. bombus + -ard. Cf. Bumper, and see Bomb. ] 1. (Gun.) A piece of heavy ordnance formerly used for throwing stones and other ponderous missiles. It was the earliest kind of cannon. [ 1913 Webster ]

They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city, might break down the houses. Knolles. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A bombardment. [ Poetic & R. ] J. Barlow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A large drinking vessel or can, or a leather bottle, for carrying liquor or beer. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. pl. Padded breeches. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Bombard phrase, inflated language; bombast. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. bombarde, fr. F. bombarde. ] (Mus.) See Bombardo. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bombarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bombarding. ] To attack with bombards or with artillery; especially, to throw shells, hot shot, etc., at or into. [ 1913 Webster ]

Next, she means to bombard Naples. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

His fleet bombarded and burnt down Dieppe. Wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bombardier. ] (Mil.) (a) One who used or managed a bombard; an artilleryman; a gunner. [ Archaic ] (b) A noncommissioned officer in the British artillery. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bombardier beetle (Zool.), a kind of beetle (Brachinus crepitans), so called because, when disturbed, it makes an explosive discharge of a pungent and acrid vapor from its anal glands. The name is applied to other related species, as the Brachinus displosor, which can produce ten or twelve explosions successively. The common American species is Brachinus fumans. [ 1913 Webster ]