An ancient military machine that launches heavy objects like boulders or burning balls using tension or leverage, or to suddenly throw something with great force.
From Greek 'kata' (down) and 'pallein' (to throw); the Romans used catapults in warfare and the term entered English through Latin military terminology.
Medieval armies didn't just use catapults to break walls—they launched diseased animal corpses and rotting food into besieged cities to spread plague, making them early weapons of biological warfare.
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