torpedo

See also: Torpedo, torpédo, and torpedó

English

a self-propelled explosive torpedo (2) in a museum

a spotted torpedo (1) fish (Torpedo marmorata)

a rail transport torpedo (7) on a railway line

Etymology

• Borrowed from Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish; numbness, torpidity, electric ray”), from torpeō (“I am stiff, numb, torpid; I am astounded; I am inactive”) +‎ -ēdō (noun suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“stiff”). In the military sense coined by Robert Fulton in 1805. Cognate with Old English steorfan (“to die”), Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós, “solid”), Lithuanian tirpstu (“to become rigid”), Old Church Slavonic трупети (trupeti).
• (type of car): From 1908, after "the Torpedo", a car designed by Captain Theo Masui.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌtɔː(ɹ)ˈpiː.dəʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌtoɹˈpi.doʊ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tor‧pe‧do
• Rhymes: -iːdəʊ

Noun

torpedo (plural torpedoes or torpedos)

1. (zoology) An electric ray of the genus Torpedo.
   • 1594, Christopher Marlow[e], The Troublesome Raigne and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England: […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press] for Henry Bell, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act I]:

     Faire Queene, forbeare to angle for the fiſh, / Which being caught, ſtrikes him that takes it dead, / I meane that vile Torpedo, Gaueſton, / That now I hope flotes on the Iriſh Seas

   • 1790, Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Men‎^[1]:

     The man has been changed into an artificial monster by the station in which he is born, and the consequent homage that benumbed his faculties like the torpedo's touch […] .

   • 1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon, New York: Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 286:

     "A childhood Misadventure with a Torpedo," Dixon, with a brief move of his head toward Mason, confides, "— thus his Sensitivity at all References to the,"— whispering,— "electrickal!"

2. (military) A cylindrical explosive projectile that can travel underwater and is used as a weapon. [from 1805]

   Synonyms: torp, fish

   1. (science fiction) A similar projectile that can travel through space.
3. (Northeastern US) A submarine sandwich.

   Synonym: sub

4. (archaic, military) A naval mine.
5. (obsolete, military) An explosive device buried underground and set off remotely, to destroy fortifications, troops, or cavalry; a land torpedo.
6. (slang) A professional gunman or assassin.
7. (rail transport, US) A small explosive device attached to the top of the rail to provide an audible warning when a train passes over it.

   Synonym: (UK) detonator

8. A kind of firework in the form of a small ball, or pellet, which explodes when thrown upon a hard object.
9. (historical) An automobile with a streamlined profile and a folding or detachable soft top, and having the hood or bonnet line raised to be level with the car's waistline, resulting in a straight beltline from front to back.
10. (neuroscience) A focal ovoid swelling on the axons of Purkinje cells, observed in several diseases such as essential tremor and spinocerebellar ataxia.
    • 2016 November 2, Lovisa Ljungberg, Daneck Lang-Ouellette, Angela Yang, Sriram Jayabal, Sabrina Quilez, Alanna J. Watt, “Transient Developmental Purkinje Cell Axonal Torpedoes in Healthy and Ataxic Mouse Cerebellum”, in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, volume 10, →DOI, article 248, page 1:

      In several human neurodegenerative diseases, focal axonal swellings on Purkinje cells – known as torpedoes – have been associated with Purkinje cell loss. Interestingly, torpedoes are also reported to appear transiently during development in rat cerebellum.

11. (slang, chiefly US, usually in the plural) A woman's shoe with a pointed toe. [1910s]
12. (slang, chiefly US, usually in the plural) A large breast; a breast with a large nipple. [from 1960s]
13. (slang) A marijuana cigarette.

    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:marijuana cigarette

    1. A thick marijuana cigarette. [1940s]
    2. A cigarette containing marijuana and crack cocaine. [from 1980s]

Derived terms

• Bangalore torpedo
• land torpedo
• neato torpedo
• spar torpedo
• torp
• torpedo boat
• torpedo body
• torpedo bomber
• torpedo boom
• torpedo catcher
• torpedo cruiser
• torpedo juice
• torpedoman
• torpedo net
• torpedo punt
• torpedo ram
• torpedo roll
• torpedo stern
• torpedo tube
• Torpex

 

Related terms

• torpid

Translations

underwater weapon

• Albanian: torpilë (sq) f, silur (sq) m
• Arabic: طُرْبِيد m (ṭurbīd)
• Armenian: տորպեդ (hy) (torped)
• Azerbaijani: torpeda
• Belarusian: тарпе́да f (tarpjéda)
• Bengali: টর্পেডো (bn) (ṭorpeḍō)
• Bulgarian: торпе́до n (torpédo)
• Catalan: torpede (ca) m
• Central Melanau: topedo
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 魚雷／鱼雷 (zh) (yúléi)

• Czech: torpédo (cs) n
• Danish: torpedo c
• Dutch: torpedo (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: torpedo (eo)
• Estonian: torpeedo
• Finnish: torpedo (fi)
• French: torpille (fr) f
• Galician: torpedo m
• Georgian: ტორპედო (ṭorṗedo)
• German: Torpedo (de) m
• Greek: τορπίλη (el) f (torpíli)
• Gujarati: નૌકાનાશક (naukānāśak)
• Hindi: टॉरपीडो (ṭŏrpīḍo), टारपीडो (hi) (ṭārpīḍo)
• Hungarian: torpedó (hu)
• Icelandic: tundurskeyti (is) n
• Italian: siluro (it) m, torpedine f
• Japanese: 魚雷 (ja) (ぎょらい, gyorai)
• Kazakh: торпеда (torpeda)
• Korean: 어뢰(魚雷) (ko) (eoroe)
• Kyrgyz: торпеда (torpeda)
• Latvian: torpēda f
• Lithuanian: torpeda f
• Macedonian: торпе́до n (torpédo)
• Malay: torpedo
• Maori: tōpīto
• Marathi: टॉरपीडो m (ṭŏrpīḍo)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: torpedo (no) m

• Persian: اژدر (fa) (aždar), ترپی (torpi)
• Polish: torpeda (pl) f
• Portuguese: torpedo (pt) m
• Romanian: torpilă (ro) f, torpedo (ro) n
• Russian: торпе́да (ru) f (torpéda)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: торпе́до m

  Roman: torpédo (sh) m

• Slovak: torpédo n
• Slovene: torpedo (sl) m
• Spanish: torpedo (es) m
• Swedish: torped (sv) c
• Tajik: торпеда (torpeda)
• Thai: ตอร์ปิโด (th) (dtɔɔ-bpì-doo)
• Turkish: torpido (tr)
• Ukrainian: торпе́да f (torpéda)
• Uzbek: torpeda (uz)
• Vietnamese: ngư lôi (vi) (魚雷)
• Volapük: torped

fish

• Bulgarian: електри́чески скат m (elektríčeski skat)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鰩魚／鳐鱼 (zh) (yáoyú)

• Finnish: sähkörausku
• French: torpille (fr) f
• Galician: trémaro m
• German: Zitterrochen
• Hungarian: zsibbasztó rája (hu)
• Italian: torpedine f, torpiglia f
• Russian: торпе́до (ru) m (torpédo), электри́ческий скат m (elektríčeskij skat)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: др̀хтуља f

  Roman: dr̀htulja (sh) f

• Spanish: torpedo (es) m, raya eléctrica f
• Volapük: torpeod

Verb

torpedo (third-person singular simple present torpedoes or torpedos, present participle torpedoing, simple past and past participle torpedoed)

1. To strike (a ship) with one or more torpedoes.
2. To sink (a ship) with one or more torpedoes.
3. (figurative) To undermine or destroy any endeavor with a powerful attack.
   • 2021 March 7, David Hytner, “Manchester United catch City cold as Fernandes and Shaw end winning run”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     The left-back had been a selection concern because of an injury niggle but his first goal since last March swung this derby decisively in United’s favour, extending their club record unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League to 22 games and torpedoing City’s sequence of 21 straight wins in all competitions.

   • 2024 August 14, Aidan Jones, “Thai PM Srettha Thavisin dismissed from office by court”, in scmp.com‎^[3]:

     The decision (5-4) by the nine-member bench has torpedoed Srettha’s troubled government, which has failed to gain support in parliament and among the Thai public.

Translations

to strike a ship with a torpedo

• Catalan: torpedinar (ca)
• Czech: torpédovat (cs)
• Danish: torpedere
• Dutch: torpederen (nl)
• Finnish: torpedoida (fi)
• French: torpiller (fr)
• German: torpedieren (de)
• Greek: τορπιλίζω (el) (torpilízo)
• Italian: silurare (it)
• Japanese: 雷撃する (raigeki suru)
• Polish: torpedować (pl) impf
• Portuguese: torpedear
• Russian: торпеди́ровать (ru) impf or pf (torpedírovatʹ)
• Spanish: torpedear (es)
• Swedish: torpedera (sv)
• Volapük: torpedön

to sink a ship with one or more torpedoes

• Bulgarian: торпилирам (bg) (torpiliram)
• Catalan: torpedinar (ca)
• Danish: torpedere
• Finnish: torpedoida (fi)
• French: torpiller (fr)
• Greek: τορπιλίζω (el) (torpilízo)
• Italian: silurare (it)
• Japanese: 雷撃する (raigeki suru)
• Maori: tōpīto
• Polish: torpedować (pl) impf
• Russian: торпеди́ровать (ru) impf or pf (torpedírovatʹ)
• Spanish: torpedear (es)
• Swedish: torpedera (sv)

to undermine or destroy any endeavor with a powerful attack

• Danish: torpedere
• Finnish: torpedoida (fi)
• French: torpiller (fr)
• Greek: τορπιλίζω (el) (torpilízo)
• Italian: silurare (it)
• Spanish: torpedear (es)
• Swedish: torpedera (sv)

Anagrams

• optrode, pet door, toe drop, trooped

Cebuano

Etymology

From English torpedo, borrowed from Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish; numbness, torpidity, electric ray”), from torpeō (“I am stiff, numb, torpid; I am astounded; I am inactive”) +‎ -ēdō (noun suffix), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“stiff”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: tor‧pe‧do

Noun

torpedo

1. (military) a torpedo; a cylindrical explosive projectile that can travel underwater and is used as a weapon

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish”), from torpēdō (“numbness, torpidity, electric ray”), from torpeō (“I am stiff, numb, torpid; I am astounded; I am inactive”) and -dō (“noun suffix”), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“stiff”), see also Old English steorfan (“to die”), Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós, “solid”), Lithuanian tirpstu (“to become rigid”), Old Church Slavonic трупети (trupeti).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔrˈpeː.doː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tor‧pe‧do

Noun

torpedo f or m (plural torpedo's, diminutive torpedootje n)

1. a torpedo (projectile adapted for underwater use)
2. (dated) a low-lying streamlined car

Derived terms

• torpedoboot

Related terms

• torpederen

Esperanto

Etymology

From English torpedo, Spanish torpedo, German Torpedo; all ultimately from Latin torpedo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [torˈpedo]
• Rhymes: -edo
• Hyphenation: tor‧pe‧do

Noun

torpedo (accusative singular torpedon, plural torpedoj, accusative plural torpedojn)

1. torpedo

Derived terms

• torpedi

Finnish

Alternative forms

• torpeedo (archaic)

Etymology

From English torpedo, from Latin torpēdō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtorpe(ː)do/, [ˈt̪o̞rpe̞(ː)do̞]
• Rhymes: -orpedo
• Hyphenation^(key): tor‧pe‧do

Noun

torpedo

1. torpedo (self-propelled cylindrical explosive projectile that can travel underwater)

Declension

Inflection of torpedo (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)
nominative		torpedo	torpedot
genitive		torpedon	torpedojen torpedoiden torpedoitten
partitive		torpedoa	torpedoja torpedoita
illative		torpedoon	torpedoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		torpedo	torpedot
accusative	nom.	torpedo	torpedot
	gen.	torpedon
genitive		torpedon	torpedojen torpedoiden torpedoitten
partitive		torpedoa	torpedoja torpedoita
inessive		torpedossa	torpedoissa
elative		torpedosta	torpedoista
illative		torpedoon	torpedoihin
adessive		torpedolla	torpedoilla
ablative		torpedolta	torpedoilta
allative		torpedolle	torpedoille
essive		torpedona	torpedoina
translative		torpedoksi	torpedoiksi
abessive		torpedotta	torpedoitta
instructive		—	torpedoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of torpedo (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative torpedoni torpedoni accusative nom. torpedoni torpedoni gen. torpedoni genitive torpedoni torpedojeni torpedoideni torpedoitteni partitive torpedoani torpedojani torpedoitani inessive torpedossani torpedoissani elative torpedostani torpedoistani illative torpedooni torpedoihini adessive torpedollani torpedoillani ablative torpedoltani torpedoiltani allative torpedolleni torpedoilleni essive torpedonani torpedoinani translative torpedokseni torpedoikseni abessive torpedottani torpedoittani instructive — — comitative — torpedoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative torpedosi torpedosi accusative nom. torpedosi torpedosi gen. torpedosi genitive torpedosi torpedojesi torpedoidesi torpedoittesi partitive torpedoasi torpedojasi torpedoitasi inessive torpedossasi torpedoissasi elative torpedostasi torpedoistasi illative torpedoosi torpedoihisi adessive torpedollasi torpedoillasi ablative torpedoltasi torpedoiltasi allative torpedollesi torpedoillesi essive torpedonasi torpedoinasi translative torpedoksesi torpedoiksesi abessive torpedottasi torpedoittasi instructive — — comitative — torpedoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative torpedomme torpedomme accusative nom. torpedomme torpedomme gen. torpedomme genitive torpedomme torpedojemme torpedoidemme torpedoittemme partitive torpedoamme torpedojamme torpedoitamme inessive torpedossamme torpedoissamme elative torpedostamme torpedoistamme illative torpedoomme torpedoihimme adessive torpedollamme torpedoillamme ablative torpedoltamme torpedoiltamme allative torpedollemme torpedoillemme essive torpedonamme torpedoinamme translative torpedoksemme torpedoiksemme abessive torpedottamme torpedoittamme instructive — — comitative — torpedoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative torpedonne torpedonne accusative nom. torpedonne torpedonne gen. torpedonne genitive torpedonne torpedojenne torpedoidenne torpedoittenne partitive torpedoanne torpedojanne torpedoitanne inessive torpedossanne torpedoissanne elative torpedostanne torpedoistanne illative torpedoonne torpedoihinne adessive torpedollanne torpedoillanne ablative torpedoltanne torpedoiltanne allative torpedollenne torpedoillenne essive torpedonanne torpedoinanne translative torpedoksenne torpedoiksenne abessive torpedottanne torpedoittanne instructive — — comitative — torpedoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative torpedonsa torpedonsa accusative nom. torpedonsa torpedonsa gen. torpedonsa genitive torpedonsa torpedojensa torpedoidensa torpedoittensa partitive torpedoaan torpedoansa torpedojaan torpedoitaan torpedojansa torpedoitansa inessive torpedossaan torpedossansa torpedoissaan torpedoissansa elative torpedostaan torpedostansa torpedoistaan torpedoistansa illative torpedoonsa torpedoihinsa adessive torpedollaan torpedollansa torpedoillaan torpedoillansa ablative torpedoltaan torpedoltansa torpedoiltaan torpedoiltansa allative torpedolleen torpedollensa torpedoilleen torpedoillensa essive torpedonaan torpedonansa torpedoinaan torpedoinansa translative torpedokseen torpedoksensa torpedoikseen torpedoiksensa abessive torpedottaan torpedottansa torpedoittaan torpedoittansa instructive — — comitative — torpedoineen torpedoinensa

Derived terms

• torpedoida

 

compounds

• torpedohyökkäys
• torpedoputki
• torpedovene

 

Further reading

• “torpedo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Italian

Noun

torpedo f (invariable)

1. tourer (motorcar)

See also

• torpedine

Anagrams

• deporto, deportò

Latin

Etymology

torpeō (“I am stiff or numb”) +‎ -ēdō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /torˈpeː.doː/, [t̪ɔrˈpeːd̪oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /torˈpe.do/, [t̪orˈpɛːd̪o]

Noun

torpēdō f (genitive torpēdinis); third declension

1. lethargy, inertness, sluggishness
2. torpedo fish

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	torpēdō	torpēdinēs
genitive	torpēdinis	torpēdinum
dative	torpēdinī	torpēdinibus
accusative	torpēdinem	torpēdinēs
ablative	torpēdine	torpēdinibus
vocative	torpēdō	torpēdinēs

Descendants

• English: torpedo
• Italian: torpedo, torpedine
• Portuguese: torpedo
• Spanish: torpedo

References

• “torpedo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “torpedo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• torpedo in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin torpedo, via English torpedo or German Torpedo.

Noun

torpedo m (definite singular torpedoen, indefinite plural torpedoer, definite plural torpedoene)

1. a torpedo

Derived terms

• torpedere

References

• “torpedo” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin torpedo, via English torpedo or German Torpedo.

Noun

torpedo m (definite singular torpedoen, indefinite plural torpedoar, definite plural torpedoane)

1. a torpedo

Derived terms

• torpedere

References

• “torpedo” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish”), from torpēdō (“numbness, torpidity, electric ray”), from torpeō (“to be stiff, numb, torpid; to be astounded; to be inactive”) + -dō (noun suffix). Compare Portuguese torpor.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /toʁˈpe.du/ [tohˈpe.du]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /toʁˈpe.du/ [tohˈpe.du]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /toɾˈpe.du/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /toʁˈpe.du/ [toχˈpe.du]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /toɻˈpe.do/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /tuɾˈpe.du/ [tuɾˈpe.ðu]

Noun

torpedo m (plural torpedos)

1. torpedo (submarine weapon)
2. (Brazil) SMS (a text message sent on a cell phone)

Related terms

• torpedagem, torpedear, torpedeamento, torpedeiro

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /torpěːdo/
• Hyphenation: tor‧pe‧do

Noun

torpédo m (Cyrillic spelling торпе́до)

1. torpedo

Declension

Declension of torpedo

	singular	plural
nominative	torpedo	torpeda
genitive	torpeda	torpeda
dative	torpedu	torpedima
accusative	torpedo	torpeda
vocative	torpedo	torpeda
locative	torpedu	torpedima
instrumental	torpedom	torpedima

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin torpēdō (“a torpedo fish”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /toɾˈpedo/ [t̪oɾˈpe.ð̞o]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -edo
• Syllabification: tor‧pe‧do

Noun

torpedo m (plural torpedos)

1. torpedo (fish)

   Synonyms: raya torpedo, raya negra, raya eléctrica

2. torpedo (weapon)
3. (Chile) cheat sheet

   Synonyms: acordeón, batería, machete

4. (Chile) prompt, script

Derived terms

• cazatorpedos
• lanzatorpedos
• torpedear

 

Further reading

• “torpedo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28