A missile is a weapon designed to be thrown or launched at a target, often guided by technology. Today it usually refers to explosive weapons fired from aircraft, ships, or ground launchers.
From Latin “missilis,” meaning “that can be thrown,” from “mittere,” “to send or let go.” Earlier, it could refer to any thrown object, like a spear or stone.
Modern missiles sound extremely high-tech, but the word originally just meant anything you could throw. In a way, a rock hurled by hand and a guided rocket share the same ancient linguistic DNA.
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