An explosion that occurs in the air above a target rather than on the ground, especially used to describe a bombing technique or military ordnance.
From 'air' plus 'burst' (from Old Norse 'bresta,' meaning 'to break apart'), describing an explosion that happens in mid-air.
During World War II, militaries discovered that exploding bombs in the air above targets was actually more destructive than ground explosions because the shock wave spreads in all directions—it's a grim physics lesson!
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