Ballistic: The phrase 'to go ballistic'… | etymologist.ai
ballistic
/bəˈlɪstɪk/·adjective·1775·Established
Origin
From Greek 'bállein' (to throw), PIE *gʷelh₁- (to throw) — via Latin 'ballista' (missile engine), naming the science of projectiles.
Definition
Relating to projectiles and their flight; moving under the force of gravity only (after initial propulsion). Informal: extremely angry.
The Full Story
Modern Latin / Greek18th centurywell-attested
From Modern Latin 'ballisticus' (pertaining to throwing, pertaining to the ballista), from 'ballista' (an ancient military engine for hurling large stones or bolts), itself borrowed from Greek 'ballístēs' (one who throws, a slinger) or 'ballistra' (a sling, a throwing machine), from 'bállein' (to throw, to hurl, to cast). ThePIE root is *gʷelH- (to throw, to reach, to pierce with a thrown object), one of the most semantically active roots in Greek. Greek 'bállein' compounds produced: 'hyperbolē' (a throwing beyond — exaggeration → 'hyperbole
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The phrase 'to go ballistic' (meaning to fly into a rage) dates from the 1980s ColdWar era, when 'ballistic missile' was a terrifying household term. Themetaphortransfers the uncontrolled, explosive trajectory of a missile to an uncontrolled, explosive emotional outburst.
— a sign → 'symbol'), 'problēma' (thrown forward — an obstacle → 'problem'), 'embolē' (thrown in → 'embolism,' 'emblem'), and through a different path, 'diábolos' (one who throws across, accuser → 'devil' via Latin 'diabolus'). The modern idiom 'going ballistic' (becoming explosively angry) entered American military slang in the 1980s, analogizing uncontrolled rage to a