# catapult

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkæ.tə.pʌlt/ · frequency rank #28,481

## Definitions
1. A device or weapon for throwing or launching large objects.
2. A mechanical aid on aircraft carriers designed to help airplanes take off from the flight deck.
3. A slingshot.
4. An instance of firing a missile from a catapult.
5. An instance of firing something, as if from a catapult.

## Etymology
From Middle French catapulte, from Latin catapulta, from Ancient Greek καταπέλτης (katapéltēs), from κατά (katá, “downwards, into, against”) + πάλλω (pállō, “I poise or sway a missile before it is thrown”). Doublet of catapulta.

## Common misspellings (12)
`actapult`, `caatpult`, `cataplut`, `catappult`, `catapullt`, `catapultt`, `cataputl`, `catauplt`, `catpault`, `cattapult`, `ccatapult`, `ctaapult`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/catapult