Bouncing off a surface at an angle, especially when a bullet or object strikes something and changes direction.
From French 'ricochet,' possibly from Italian 'ricoccio.' The word entered English through military terminology describing how bullets would bounce unpredictably off surfaces during battle.
Ricocheting became important military vocabulary when soldiers realized bullets didn't just stop—they bounced in surprising ways! Some ricochets in history actually saved lives by deflecting bullets away from their targets, which is why understanding ricochets mattered to military strategy.
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